


Unexpected Feelings

by coolemyasi



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Spoilers, How Do I Tag, Spoilers for Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2020-09-28 05:13:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20420480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolemyasi/pseuds/coolemyasi
Summary: When she saved those Officer's Academy students, the last thing Byleth expected was to end up teaching them. She also never thought she'd end up developing romantic feelings for any of these students, but Dedue has a certain allure about him that she just can't seem to stop focusing on. This is a story about how Byleth found the love of her life, even if he was a little preoccupied with a greater focus for a while.





	1. Welcome to Garreg Mach

**Author's Note:**

> So when I started playing Three Houses, I ended up falling for Dedue as a fluke, mostly because I knew nothing going in. There's just something great about this gentle giant and I just love him so much. This fic is basically how my emotions worked as I played through this game, silly one off comments I made to myself while playing providing great inspiration to write. I have a lot planned for this fic, and admittedly it's probably going to be a decently long one, but hey, when I decided I needed to write a Dedue/Byleth fic it was because there weren't a lot of them out there, and I needed to fix that. Here's to hoping this is a good one in the end. It's also important to note that this is the first fic I'm actually posting here, and I am in no way shape or form familiar with html formating, but I'm trying my best ^^;

Byleth had honestly never expected her life to go down the path it had gone down. First, she had rescued a trio of students from the Garreg Mach Officer's Academy, then she found out that these students weren’t just your standard run of the mill students, they were the future rulers of Fódlan. To really make things interesting, she had also learned that one of the many things her father had kept from her for her entire life was that he was not only associated with the academy these students were from, but he was the _captain_ of the Knights of Seiros, who were also based out of Garreg Mach.

Before Byleth even had time to wrap her blue eyed, blue haired head around the insane amount of information she had been given in such a short period of time, the Archbishop of Garreg Mach, Lady Rhea, had offered her a job as a professor at the Officer’s Academy. Now, Byleth wasn’t entirely sure just how old she was, but she knew it was somewhere between 18 and 21, and that she seemed a bit young to be teaching what are basically her peers. To top it all off, one of he other professors had hit on her father at least once in her presence, which had made her feel like vomiting, and the other told her she had this thing called a crest that was highly sought after by all sorts of nobles. Lady Rhea had not actively assigned Byleth one of the three houses to teach but told the young professor to go out and meet the students, and she could decide from there which house to teach.

As Byleth entered the courtyard, she was greeted by Dimitri, one of the three students she’d rescued a few days prior. Dimitri was the prince of Faerghus, and the head of the Blue Lions house. Byleth was slightly caught off guard by the crown prince casually waiting for her.

“I told you on the way back to Garreg Mach that I would give you a tour once you were settled.” The blonde prince smiled. “It also gives me a good opportunity to convince you that you want to join the Blue Lions since I assume you’ll be around for a while.”

Byleth nodded. “Lady Rhea offered me a teaching position here at the academy. She told me to meet all the students and figure out which class I want to lead. So far, I think I’m leaning towards the Blue Lions, especially since you were kind enough to greet me.” She smiled as she walked with Dimitri around the monastery grounds.

Dimitri had been kind enough to introduce the new professor to all her potential students. The Golden Eagles, led by Claude, seemed like a really nice bunch of students, but the Black Eagles made her incredibly uneasy, especially Edelgard and her second in command Hubert. Dimitri saved the best class for last and introduced Byleth to the members of the Blue Lions class. The first person to greet them was Dimitri’s own second in command, Dedue. Dedue was a large man from Duscur that just looked like a very intimidating individual. Byleth was slightly taken aback when the Duscran man thanked her for protecting Dimitri from the bandits she had rescued him and the other house leaders from.

“Thank you so much for protecting His Highness in my absence. Words cannot express my gratitude, if you ever need me for anything, I will not hesitate to assist you.” Dedue smiled slightly and firmly shook Byleth’s hand. Most people would have been scared of this large dark man, his outward appearance and undying devotion to Dimitri being a bit off-putting. Byleth was not most people and sensed no maliciousness from this man. Dedue stood at nearly seven feet tall and was a very solidly built man, but there was a kindness in his emerald eyes, and he had a very lovely scent coming off of him, a combination of kitchen spices and ginger. She blushed slightly, despite his large size, his handshake was firm but wasn’t crushing her hand at all, unlike when she had shaken hands with Raphael earlier and the muscle-bound doofus had nearly broken her hand.

“I just did what anyone would have.” Byleth shrugged. Dedue nodded and told her again that he was in her debt, despite that. After checking over Dimitri to make sure he was okay and didn’t require his assistance, Dedue went off to help out in the dining hall. Dimitri smiled slightly at the positive interaction that had just gone down between his most trusted friend and the woman who was hopefully going to be a very trustworthy ally. The prince introduced the professor to the other members of his class, Annette the prodigy in most of her studies, the kind Mercedes who had a very maternal air about her, Ashe who was just a precious child that Byleth decided she needed to protect on sight, a very edgy looking Felix who seemed to want to fight Dimitri, Sylvain the lady killer, and Ingrid who had a very good sense of chivalry.

After meeting all the students, Byleth came to one conclusion: Each of the future leaders had an intimidating second in command, Claude with Hilda, Edelgard with Hubert, and Dimitri with Dedue, but overall the Blue Lions had intimidated her the least. She confirmed with Lady Rhea that she was going to lead the Blue Lions, and then decided to go situate herself in her new room for a well-deserved nap. Seteth had apologized to her in advance that the only room available to put her in was on the same part of the first floor as the male students from more common upbringing. The green-haired man had told her that her room was the one at the very end of the block, on the side closest to the sauna. Byleth followed his directions, going to what she thought was the last room in the line. She started to open the door and jumped a little in surprise when someone cleared his throat behind her.

“Excuse me, Professor, but you seem to be entering my room. Not to be rude, but I do not know you quite well enough to invite you into my room just yet.” Dedue towered over her, the scent of fresh baked goods wafting off of him, taking any intimidation factor away from him. Byleth blushed and stepped carefully around him.

“I’m sorry, Dedue. My room must be the next one down…” She looked up at him. “But I guess this means we’re neighbors now!” She smiled slightly awkwardly.

“It would seem so.” He nodded opening his door. “Now if you would excuse me, I have some work I have to prepare for a class tomorrow. Perhaps we can talk later if the mood strikes.” The large man bowed slightly and went into his room.

If Byleth’s heart could race, it would have been beating out of her chest after that encounter. She entered her room and sat on the bed, trying to figure out what exactly was going on in her head. Every time she had encountered Dedue that day, there was something about him that made her focus intently on his presence.

“You’re developing some form of romantic interest!” A voice said in the corner of her room. Byleth looked over and saw Sothis, a green-haired girl that seemed to live in a void in the depths of Byleth’s subconscious, floating in the corner.

Byleth looked at her, tilting her head slightly. “Romantic interest? I just met all of these people today, and you’re saying I’m in love with one of them?”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it love just yet. There’s definitely a sense of infatuation about you, though. Do you know which person could be causing this?” Sothis asked, tenting her fingers and resting her chin on her fingertips.

Byleth thought for a moment, resting her face against her hand like she always did when she was thinking. The only person who had altered her thoughts at all that day had been Dedue, the man in the next room over. She had never looked at a man in the past and thought of him as anything but an ally, but Dedue was different somehow. She barely knew this tall dark man, but already wanted to know everything about him.

“So Dedue is his name?” Sothis smirked. “And he resides in the room on the other side of this wall? Are you going to attempt to deepen these feelings you’re developing?” She teased.

Byleth turned bright red. “I think I just might. This is a completely new experience for me, but I like this feeling…” She leaned back and gently placed her hand on the wall. “Dedue…” She whispered, allowing herself just one more moment to explore these newfound romantic feelings. She had honestly never felt anything for anyone in the past, she barely had anything that resembled feelings for her own father, Jeralt, but somehow being around people her own age, in a completely unfamiliar location, was starting to make her feel things. She yawned softly and curled up in her bed, hoping by the time she woke up maybe she’d be able to figure out just what she was supposed to be doing as a professor in this academy.


	2. Greenhouse Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth has discovered that Dedue seems to have a deep love for gardening, and seeing as it's one of the few opportunities she's encountered where Dedue isn't sticking to Dimitri like glue, she decides to help him out in the greenhouse

In the months that followed Byleth accepting her professor’s position, she had a lot going on with her students at the Officer’s Academy. These kids misplaced stuff all the time, and not just things like pens or notebooks, as Byleth had found a pair of Dimitri’s gloves, a whole poster that belonged to Dorothea, and even her own father had managed to misplace his entire flask. Since she was a professor, and no one else seemed inclined to return these items, Byleth did a lot of running around returning things to her forgetful students, as well as the other professors at the academy. One of Byleth’s many duties as a teacher was to help her students train with a large variety of weapons, not just swords as she’d grown accustomed to. She did her best instructing proper weapon wielding techniques to her students, and it seemed to stick. None of them had gotten killed when they’d faced the bandits, so she figured she’d been doing a good job teaching them.

At one point, her father had asked Byleth how she was enjoying herself as a professor, if she had any desire to leave Garreg Mach, and he was oddly surprised when she told him she was having a great time teaching these students. In the past Byleth had nothing to worry about when it came to social interactions, as Jeralt talked to everybody and then told her what needed to be done. While at the academy, she had plenty of time to interact with people closer to her own age, and she was thriving, which seemed to please Jeralt just a little. Sure, she hadn’t brought up the fact that she and the voice in her head were subtly trying to learn more about the guy that lived in the room next to hers, but that just didn’t seem like information she deemed important to share with Jeralt.

In her downtime between returning items and teaching classes, Byleth had formulated a plan to get closer to Dedue. Since she couldn’t just try to talk to him while they were training because Dimitri was also there, she took to carefully observing the Duscran when she could. The young professor had learned a few things: Dedue loved to cook and he was incredibly good at it, that he cared deeply about all the plants in the greenhouse, he seems to really enjoy ginger tea, and he spends a lot of his time with Dimitri. Considering the relationship between Dedue and Dimitri was that of a vassal and his monarch, Byleth could _somewhat_ understand what was going on between them, but it made trying to get to know this large man that had gripped her attention so thoroughly very difficult. Every time she went to talk to Dedue, Dimitri would start discussing battle plans for upcoming missions over top of her.

It soon came to Byleth’s attention that Dedue often spent his spare time in the greenhouse gardening without Dimitri’s company, and she made every attempt she could to help out in the greenhouse as well. One day she actually went down there and just saw Dedue crouched down over some plants. He felt her presence, and without even turning to look at her acknowledged her asked her, “Did you need something?”

“I just came to look at the flowers…” Byleth replied quickly, not wanting to reveal she had sort of waited for everyone else to leave before wandering in there.

“I see.” Dedue kept up with his work without so much as glancing at her. He seemed to think for a second before climbing to his feet and turning to look at her. “Since you’re here, why don’t you help me water the flowers?” He suggested.

Byleth nodded, slowly taking in the large man’s appearance. He had a slight layer of dirt over his knees and on his hands, very obvious he had in fact been gardening for a little while at this point. “I’d be more than happy to help you, Dedue.” She smiled.

“Just do not water the ones in that corner.” Dedue pointed past her to a bed of beautiful flowers in a rainbow of colors. “They are from Duscur and require a dry environment.”

“Wow, they’re absolutely beautiful.” Byleth’s blue eyes lit up as she looked at the flowers from Dedue’s homeland.

“They certainly are.” Dedue smiled at her slightly, then stared at her, his face returning to its usual stern expression. She tilted her head slightly and stared back at him. “I owe you a debt of gratitude, wherever we are, you do your best to protect His Highness. You have my sincerest thanks.”

Byleth sighed slightly, while she was glad that he was taking notice of her, she had hoped any compliments would have been solely about her, not how well she had been protecting the prince. “I only did what anyone would do in my position.” She shrugged.

“I see.” Dedue looked down for a moment, then back up at her. “Was there something else you wanted?” He asked.

Internally, Byleth was practically screaming ‘Well, _yeah_. I want you to take your mind off Dimitri for five minutes and realize I’ve been trying to gain your affection!’ But instead of just out of nowhere confessing her feelings, that she wasn’t even 100% sure of herself at this point, she just smiled and shook her head. “I’ll go fetch some water.”

“Then if you’ll please excuse me.” Dedue picked up his watering can and went back to tending the plants. Byleth went to get the water, slightly frustrated that this man was so hard to hold a conversation with, yet so intriguing to her. She came back and started to water different plants in the greenhouse, watching Dedue out of the corner of her eye. His height made it easy for him to reach even most of the plants that had been hung from the ceiling.

About an hour later, they were finally done watering all of the different flowers. Dedue placed a hand gently on Byleth’s shoulder. “I genuinely appreciate your assistance with this.” He smiled. “We completed this task a lot faster since we worked together.”

“Think nothing of it.” She smiled back. Goddess this man had a nice smile.

“If you ever require my assistance with anything, do not hesitate to ask.” He picked up a stray flower blossom from the floor and absentmindedly placed it in her hair, then went to put the watering cans away, not noticing that she was blushing a dark shade of red.

“Oh, it seems somebody is feeling things again.” Sothis laughed from inside Byleth’s head as she watched Dedue walk away. “I suppose he is kind of charming. You just need to find out what you need to do to keep his mind off the young prince. It seems that this Dedue does have some interest in you.”

Byleth continued to blush slightly as she headed towards her bedroom to find a safe place for this flower he’d just given her. She was in denial that this man could possibly have in any interest in her beyond using her as a meat shield for Dimitri, but what if Sothis was right? When she got back to her room, Byleth picked up one of her journals and gently placed the flower between the pages, pressing it gently. She let out a content sigh and smiled, maybe after their next mission there would be more time to talk with Dedue.

“Perhaps if you fight your hardest, that will gain his attention. If you attempt to keep him a distance from Dimitri, he might be impressed by your fighting skills and he’ll focus on you instead of the prince.” Sothis shrugged, having just manifested in the corner of Byleth’s room.

Byleth sat down at her desk and started pulling out her lesson plans and battle strategies for the next mission. “I’ll fight my hardest, but even if Dedue and Dimitri are across the battlefield from each other, there’s no guarantee I can get his attention…” She sighed as she started formulating a top-notch battle plan. She tried her hardest to keep Dedue’s smile from creeping back into her thoughts as she worked, but while most people found everything about him intimidating, the more time she spent even in the general vicinity of the large Duscran man, the more she really liked him.


	3. Time for Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth learns how to throw tea parties for her students and comes to a logical conclusion: Use a tea party for one on one time with Dedue

During the weeks leading up to the Goddess’s Rebirth Ceremony, Byleth was given a tea set by one of the students from the Black Eagles house, Ferdinand, and was told to give the set to Lorenz from the Golden Deer house, who in turn showed the professor the art of tea parties. She figured that tea parties were a great way to get close to many of her students and the other professors, which gave her a new plan for getting close with Dedue: she would invite him to tea and get all the one on one time with him she needed, hopefully getting to learn a little more about him. Byleth recalled that every so often the scent of ginger would waft from Dedue’s room, so she decided that a ginger tea blend would be the best choice, and then went to hunt the Duscran man down to invite him to tea.

She found Dedue in the Knight’s hall, sitting by the fireplace, seemingly thinking hard about something. Byleth went over and sat next to him. “Is there something on your mind, Dedue?” She asked, tilting her head slightly.

Dedue sighed. “The church told me they did not want my help guarding Lady Rhea before the Goddess’s Rebirth Ceremony.” Byleth frowned. She really didn’t like the way a lot of the people at the monastery treated Dedue simply because he was from Duscur and they deemed him untrustworthy. In her personal experience there were few people more deserving of trust in all of Fódlan, but she could be just a little bit biased.

“I’m so sorry…” She thought very hard about giving his arm a reassuring pat but wasn’t sure how he would respond.

“Do not apologize, I am used to people treating me this way.” He looked at her. “I assume there was a reason you came and found me?”

Byleth blushed slightly. “Well, I came to invite you to have tea with me.”

“You wish to have me join you for tea?” Dedue crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly.

“Yeah! I was thinking having tea with some of my students would be a great way to bond with them.” She looked up at him and smiled awkwardly. “And perhaps it would help lift your spirits just a little bit?”

A smile crept across the Duscran man’s face. “Perhaps you are right. Please let me know ahead of time the next time you invite me to tea though, I can prepare some sweets for us to share.” He laughed, standing up and waiting for Byleth to lead the way. The professor stood up and led him outside to the gazebo near the dining hall, where she had set up a wonderful tea party, with a lovely tea set and a plate of various sweets she was able to get from the dining hall.

Being a gentleman, Dedue pulled out Byleth’s chair for her before seating himself across from her. She poured him a cup of tea and offered it to him, smiling as he picked up the cup and inhaled the aroma coming off of it. “Ginger tea? How did you know that this is my favorite?” The large man smiled, taking a sip.

“Well, I noticed that after a battle there’s almost always a strong scent of ginger coming from your room.” Byleth smiled, taking a sip of the tea she had poured for herself. She frowned slightly and added some more sugar to her tea before taking another sip.

“Ah yes. There is nothing quite as satisfying as a warm cup of ginger tea after a hard battle.” Dedue chuckled. “I see you prefer your tea sweet. Do you enjoy sweet things, Byleth, er Professor?”

Byleth melted a little bit at the sound of her name in his voice. “Dedue, there’s no need to call me professor when it’s just the two of us…” she blushed “But yes, I do enjoy sweets. They were always a way for Jeralt to get me to smile when I was a child. I particularly love wild berry tarts.” She smiled as she took another sip of tea.

“I could make you wild berry tarts next time we have tea.” Dedue offered, picking up a small cake from the plate on the table and taking a bite.

“Would you?” Byleth smiled brightly, excitement tangible in her voice. Dedue nearly choked on his cake, blushing as he looked at her.

“I can see why your father would give you sweets if you smiled like that. Your face is completely different with that smile.” He took a long sip of his tea.

Byleth turned bright red and looked away from him. “Now I’m embarrassed.” She laughed. “Why don’t you tell me what else has been on your mind today.”

“Well, I was just thinking about what I should prepare for dinner tonight. Would you like to help me later?”

Byleth refilled their teacups. “I’d be glad to.” She smiled as she added sugar to her tea and picked up a tart from the table.

They chatted for about an hour while they drank their tea, Byleth’s mission to get Dedue’s undivided attention being completely successful. She had managed to navigate an entire conversation without him bringing up Dimitri once, and she was going to help him make dinner that night.

“Good job, Byleth! I told you that man liked you.” Sothis said as Byleth and Dedue cleaned up the tea supplies and headed towards the dining hall. “Keep this up and you’ll have to talk to Manuela about what goes on in a relationship.” The voice in Byleth’s head teased.

Byleth’s face flushed a little as she followed behind the large man. Dedue walked into the dining hall and gave an acknowledging nod to the head chef as he led Byleth into the kitchen. Dedue quickly went to work, preparing the vegetables and calling out ingredients for Byleth to him. Before long, they had prepared a meal for the entire academy. Byleth wiped some sweat from her brow on the back of her wrist.

“That was a lot of work.” She let out a sigh with a smile. “But I had a great time working with you.”

Dedue smiled back at her. “I agree, we work well together, Professor.” Byleth snorted a little as she noticed a spot on his face.

“Dedue, how did you manage to get sauce on the bridge of your nose?” She offered him a towel. Instead of taking the towel from her hand as she expected, Dedue lowered himself so she could reach his face.

“I was unaware there was even sauce on my face, so there is a good chance I could accidentally wipe it into my eye.” He blushed slightly. “But I will not be offended if you touch my face to prevent such an incident.”

“If that’s what you want me to do…” Byleth smiled as she used the towel to gently wipe the gunk off his face. When she pulled the towel away, she blushed and looked away as they awkwardly made eye contact. He quickly blinked and stood up.

“Would you care to join His Highness and I for dinner tonight?” He asked, brushing some flour off his sleeve.

Byleth shook her head. “No, you two haven’t spent much time together today, and I should probably spend some time with the other students. I feel there are a few that would thrive a lot better in the Blue Lions house than in the environments they’re currently in.” She smiled. “It was great spending time with you today. Perhaps we can do this again sometime?”

Dedue nodded. “That sounds like a fine plan. I will talk to you later… Byleth.” He blushed slightly as he headed towards the dining area, giving her a wave on his way out.

“Ooh, my heart is racing, that was great! He actually used your name and everything!” Sothis said excitedly. Byleth had a smile on her face as she walked out of the dining hall. The young professor could feel her pulse racing from the whole experience, and she could not wait until their next encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while between uploading chapters, and that's mainly due to the fact that I ended up starting a second Blue Lions file instead of continuing in the Golden Deer file I started... In my defense, I wanted to incorporate the Goddess Tower scene into this fic, and until like, this morning I hadn't updated my game, when they finally added the Goddess Tower scenes to the post game events menu. Now instead of having a fic that kinda glosses over a few of the main story events in game due to playing once, I am in fact incorporating things that happened before the Goddess Tower, and hopefully in the next couple days I'll have another chapter finished.  
I would also like to note, that while writing this chapter the fluff seriously started overtaking me and I did a lot of internal squeeing...


	4. Missing?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flayn is missing and Byleth is more stressed by the whole ordeal than she's willing to let on

In the months following what Sothis kept referring to as Dedue and Byleth’s first date, the tea party, a lot went down at Garreg Mach. First Byleth had received a Holy Relic, the Sword of the Creator, from Lady Rhea because the young professor’s rare crest was the exact one needed to wield this weapon. Byleth enjoyed her new sword but tried not to rely heavily on it because it would often stop holding its shape if she used it too often. She had also recently learned from her father that her mother was buried in the cemetery at Garreg Mach, which raised many questions, that Jeralt promised to answer at some point, but knowing her luck, she would never learn the answers to. Byleth made a point of visiting her mother’s grave at any given opportunity, feeling like maybe if she stared at the headstone long enough, either someone would reveal the name lost to the ages on it, or she would have some sort of divine intervention that would reveal her mother’s identity to her.

Everything seemed to be going well at the Officer’s Academy, her students were all opening up to her and telling her about their troubles and where they came from, and she’d even convinced a couple students from other houses to join her class. Overall everyone was passing their certification exams, and everyone was happy. Byleth had even managed to start scheduling regular tea times with Dedue, and the pair had grown stronger as a result. Sadly, nothing stays steady forever, and soon after returning from the battle against Sylvain’s brother, Byleth had received news from Seteth that his sister, Flayn, had gone missing.

Byleth quickly assured the green haired man that she would help look for his sister. With the help of all the students in the Blue Lions house, they searched every corner of campus they could get to before nightfall, turning up nothing. That night the young professor could not get to sleep, the thought of Flayn being scared out of her mind and possibly being tortured or hurt weighing heavily in her mind. She decided the best course of action was to do a little more investigating on her own. As Byleth left her room, she saw there was a light on in Dedue’s room and decided to knock on the door.

“Dedue? Are you still awake?” She asked as she lightly rapped on his door. She heard him get out of his chair and approach the door, moments later the door opened and revealed Dedue, still fully dressed.

“I am, in fact, still awake.” Dedue sighed. “I was getting ready to head out and investigate the grounds for suspicious individuals.”

Byleth nodded. “I was about to do that myself.”

“The only place I’ve yet to check is the library.” Dedue explained to the tired, anxious woman.

“Why don’t we go investigate together?” Byleth suggested.

“As you wish.”

Byleth wasn’t normally a jumpy person, but this whole situation was starting to put her on edge. Rumors had been floating around that Flayn had been taken because she had a rare crest, and Byleth had just discovered recently how incredibly rare her own crest was. It didn’t help at all that the Death Knight had specifically shown interest in her after learning she could wield the Sword of the Creator. Why had it been Flayn that had been kidnapped, and not her? Byleth was usually incredibly hard to read, but Dedue seemed to pick up on the fact that something was seriously making her nervous. As the two set off into the night, Dedue gently took her hand as he led the way to the library.

“If I hold your hand, I will be completely certain that you haven’t been taken by any suspicious people that we managed to miss.” Dedue explained calmly. Byleth nodded and tightened her grip on his hand just a little bit as they climbed the stairs. As the approached the library’s entrance, Dedue put out a hand to stop Byleth from charging into the room. “Candlelight?” He raised an eyebrow and peered around the doorframe. “And who is that?” He whispered.

Byleth gripped the Duscran man’s arm slightly. “Is it the Death Knight?” She asked nervously.

“No, it isn’t.” Dedue’s eyes widened as footsteps approached the doorway. “Impossible!” Byleth’s pulse quickened as she reached for the dagger she kept on her belt. She let out a sigh of relief when Dimitri came into the light.

“Professor, Dedue. What are you up to at this hour?” The prince asked, seeming to take notice of the slight physical contact that was still occurring between the pair in front of him.

“Your Highness! My apologies.” Dedue bowed slightly, and Byleth let go of his arm and took a half step away from him.

“Oh, none necessary. I’m sorry for startling you. I was just doing some research, but I’m just about finished. I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten.” Dimitri looked from Dedue to Byleth, and back to Dedue. “We’d better head back to our quarters, Dedue. We have a long day ahead of us.” He placed a hand on the larger man’s shoulder and started leading him back towards the dorms. “Until tomorrow, Professor.” As the prince and his vassal walked off, she could have sworn Dimitri was asking Dedue why he had been with Byleth in a supposedly empty building in the middle of the night.

“Whatever could he have been looking for so late at night?” Sothis asked as Byleth stood nervously in the library. “There’s a book that is quite askew on that shelf… He must have been in quite a rush to put it back…” Byleth knew instinctively which book the girl in her head had been indicating and pulled it off the shelf. Further investigation into the book revealed that it was a book of donations made to the monastery from nobility. The donations from a person by the name of Arundel had been very large until the year 1174, when they just abruptly stopped. Sothis had concluded that this was either because Arundel fell to financial woe or had died. Neither Byleth or the voice in her head could ascertain why this book would have been relevant to Flayn’s disappearance. Byleth placed the book back on the shelf and drew her dagger, ready to face the walk back to the dorms alone.

She crept slowly from the building, doing her best to stay vigilant and not draw any attention to herself. She had made it to the dining hall when she heard footsteps approaching, and saw a large shadow moving towards her. The former mercenary quickly raised her dagger and charged towards the mysterious shadow, stopping before she could land a blow as she recognized the large figure in front of her was Dedue. She let out a sigh of relief and lowered her dagger. The Duscran man did not seem to be phased by the fact that she had nearly stabbed him.

“I apologize for frightening you, Professor.” He placed a hand gently on her shoulder. “I was just heading back to the library to ensure you got back to your room safely.” Byleth looked up at him, resting her face in her hand like she always did when she was thinking.

“Did Dimitri send you to collect me?” She asked, just assuming the crown prince was concerned for her safety.

Dedue shook his head. “No, I knew you had been frightened when we were heading _to_ the library, even with me at your side, so I assumed you would still be nervous on your way back…” Byleth felt her cheeks warm up just a bit. “I would have felt incredibly guilty if any harm had come to you in my absence.”

Byleth, not fully realizing what she was doing, stepped forward slightly and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you for thinking about me, Dedue.” She smiled as she rested her face against his chest. Dedue stiffened for a moment before relaxing into her touch, wrapping his arms around her in return.

“There is no need to thank me. That is what friends do for each other, is it not?” She could practically hear him smiling as he spoke to her. Byleth nodded, blushing a little as she pulled away. Dedue gently took her hand once more. “It is late, and as His Highness said, we have a long day ahead of us. Let’s get you back to your room.” Byleth let out a slight yawn and squeezed his hand gently.

As hey walked back, Sothis started humming a traditional wedding march in Byleth’s head, the blue haired girl trying her best to ignore it. The walk back to their rooms was short and quiet, but once they reached Byleth’s door, Dedue turned to face her. “I want you to know that at the first sign of a struggle, I will not hesitate to break down your door and come to your aid. That is a promise.” He squeezed her hand gently before letting her go, then just looked at her for a moment.

“Thank you again, Dedue. I genuinely appreciate you for this.” Byleth smiled. There was a tangible feeling in the air that neither of them had truly wanted to break their physical contact.

“Kiss him!!!” Sothis urged the young woman. “We both know that’s what you want to do, and you know he also wants to kiss you!”

Byleth knew Sothis was correct, and she truly did want to kiss him, but this genuinely did not feel like the right moment. Instead, she gave him a quick hug, thanking him one more time before bidding him goodnight and rushing into her room, Sothis screaming in her head the whole time. “Stupid worthless human! Who knows when another opportunity like this will present itself!” Sothis pouted as she floated in the corner of the room.

Byleth sighed, listening as Dedue entered his room. “It wasn’t the right moment, Sothis. It honestly, truly wasn’t the right moment.” As Byleth changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed, she just heard Sothis muttering quietly about the stupid mortal that never listens to a word she says.

The next day while discussing further plans to search for Flayn with Dimitri, Ingrid came running into the Knight’s Hall and announced that there had been a scream in Jeritza’s quarters. Soon the entire Blue Lions house had run to the scene to discover Manuela motionless on the floor. Annette was pleading with Manuela to wake up, and Byleth’s pulse quickened.

“I-is she dead?” The startled professor asked, her mouth agape. Dimitri was on the floor, checking the unconscious woman’s pulse.

“No, it seems she’s only unconscious.” The prince answered with a sigh of relief.

“Hey, it looks like Manuela is pointing at something!” Annette exclaimed. Everyone in the room followed the path of Manuela’s hand to an open passageway just as Professor Hanneman entered the room.

“What is all this commotion?” The mustached man gasped upon seeing his colleague on the floor. “Is that Manuela???” Hanneman looked at Dimitri. “Don’t just stand there! Help me get her to the infirmary!” He requested frantically. The prince nodded and lifted Manuela with ease.

“I shall return shortly, Professor.” Dimitri called to Byleth as he and Hanneman took the fallen professor to the infirmary.

The rest of the Blue lions looked to Byleth. “What should we do, Professor?” Dedue asked her, trusting her best judgement.

“We need to investigate that passage.” Byleth said confidently. “The door is still wide open, and there’s a good chance Manuela’s assailant is still close by! Maybe Flayn is close as well.” Despite the fact that half of her class was terrified, she headed down the dark passage, all of her students following behind her. There was a slight bit of fear in her mind as she charged down the hall, Sword of the Creator at the ready, but Dedue being right behind her made her feel incredibly safe.

It wasn’t long before they came to another open chamber, where Annette took notice of two more unconscious bodies on the floor. Byleth stepped forward to investigate and saw two teenaged girls unconscious on the floor. One of them was Flayn, but she didn’t recognize the other girl at all, none of her students recognized her either.

“Professor! Someone’s coming from further in! Oh no, it’s the Death Knight.” Annette was practically shaking where she stood. Byleth raised the Sword of the Creator, ready to strike the knight in the horned, skull shaped helmet as he approached. The Blue Lions also drew their weapons, and after a lot of work taking down smaller grunt soldiers, the battle ended with the Death Knight retreating. Byleth was genuinely upset by this because she wanted to strike that man down for causing so much distress to everyone at the monastery.

Byleth and her students carried the two unconscious girls they had discovered out of the secret passage, once it was clear of danger, and got them to the infirmary as quickly as they could. The healers in the infirmary declared that the girls would make a full recovery. Some of the other staff had identified the unfamiliar girl as Monica, a girl who had gone missing the prior year. Seteth was overjoyed that Flayn had been returned to him alive and told Byleth that he was forever in her debt for saving his sister.

By nightfall, things had finally settled down a bit. The girls had been receiving treatment, Manuela had regained consciousness and was giving a full report to Lady Rhea, and Byleth finally had time to just be by herself and reflect on what had happened. She had found a secluded part of the courtyard, and was sitting on the grass, staring up at the stars. She felt a hand gently touch her shoulder, causing her to jump a little.

“I apologize, Professor. I did not mean to startle you.” Dedue said, sitting down behind her. “At least you did not attempt to stab me this time.” He teased.

Byleth smiled slightly and leaned against his large form. “It’s all right, I was just thinking about how glad I am that Flayn is safe.” She frowned slightly. “And how easily I, or any of the other girls in the academy could have met the same fate.” She shuddered slightly. Dedue wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

“You would have put up a much harder fight if the Death Knight had tried to kidnap you, and I do not doubt for an instant that Jeralt would have hunted down your kidnapper within hours if you had suddenly disappeared.” He rubbed her arm gently. “I would have helped him do so.” He whispered quietly. Byleth looked up into his green eyes and tilted her head slightly.

“What was that?” She asked, sitting up a bit to get a better look at his face.

The large man blushed and looked away from her. “It was nothing…” He looked back at her and smiled slightly. “Why don’t we go have a cup of tea to unwind? I told you that a cup of ginger tea is a great thing after a tough battle.”

Byleth smiled back at him. “That sounds like a wonderful idea.” She sat up and climbed to her feet, then held a hand out to Dedue. He chuckled and took her hand as she helped him to his feet.

“I could have gotten up myself.” He continued to hold her hand as they started to walk towards the kitchen.

“I know. I just wanted an excuse to hold your hand.” She teased. As the two shared a conversation over tea, Sothis was sitting back in the depths of Byleth’s subconscious, repeatedly telling her that she should be kissing the man in front of her. Byleth ignored her quiet well and just enjoyed the conversation she was having with Dedue, not talk of Dimitri, no talk of the Death Knight or any other foes, just things that made them happy.

When they finished their tea, Dedue excused himself to go make sure Dimitri wasn’t staying up too late and stressing himself out. He walked her back to her room before heading upstairs and gave her a tight hug before he left. Byleth was on cloud nine when she finally headed off to bed, sleeping soundly that night knowing Dedue genuinely cared about her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this was supposed to be a filler chapter. A short one to hold me over until I finally had all the pieces I needed to get through to the ball so I could write a super fluffy chapter including Dedue's Goddess Tower scene. Somehow it spanned out to 6 pages front and back in my notebook, and about 5 in my word document. I have no idea how that happened, but I don't regret any of it. The next chapter seems to be doing the same thing, so who knows how these things are going to look in the end. I hope you've been enjoying this, because I have been having a time writing this, and I have a lot more ideas rolling around in my head


	5. A Little Rest and Relaxation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth finally gets some more downtime to spend with Dedue after the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, but gets sick afterwards. She's sent off to rest, and Dedue jumps at the opportunity to ensure Byleth is well taken care of.

After Flayn was rescued, everything settled down a little, and Seteth had even decided to let his sister join Byleth’s class. Seteth had also arranged for a fishing tournament to be held to make Flayn happy, to both the excitement and dread of most of the campus. The dining hall had ended up serving fish for about a month straight. These students that had been mostly fueled solely by fish had to battle in a traditional school event called the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. The Blue Lions had won no problem under Byleth’s direction.

After their victory, the Blue Lions held a celebratory feast where Byleth had shocked most of her class by consuming more than even Raphael usually did in one sitting. Byleth had just a little downtime after the battle and had happened to spot Dedue heading into the greenhouse. Thinking that it had been a while since they’d had any one on one time, they had missed their regular weekly tea due to preparations for the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, the blue haired woman decided to follow after him and see if he needed any help with the plants. She opened the door and saw Dedue crouched down, tending to some of the flowers. Without looking up from his work he spoke to her. “Here you are again.”

“I came to check on the flowers…” Byleth smiled slightly.

“I see.” Dedue brushed some dirt off his hands and stood up, turning to face her. “The flowers you helped water last time are in bloom now. Have a look." He gestured around the greenhouse, there were flowers in bloom in just about every corner. Byleth looked around, the smile on her face not fading. Jeralt had mentioned that her mother had always loved flowers and would light up whenever he had brought her a new flower, and Byleth finally understood how her mother must have felt.

“Aren’t they lovely?” Byleth asked, leaning forward to smell a purple blossom.

“Indeed.” Dedue said as he turned from her to look at a beautiful light blue flower. “My sister was fond of this one in particular.” He sighed slightly.

“I didn’t know you had a sister.” Byleth blinked as she looked up at him.

“It never came up.” The large man shrugged. “Duscur is a dead land, its flowers were all trampled under the boots of soldiers.” Dedue gently stroked the petals of the flower. “But seeing this blossom brings back memories.” He was quiet for a moment before turning back to look at her. “I do not know why I am telling you all of this.”

Byleth looked at him intently. “I would love to hear more…”

Dedue crossed his arms and sighed. “There is little to tell. But if you are from Fódlan you must know what became of the people of Duscur. The people who betrayed their allies from Faerghus. The ones who were punished for regicide. The Duscur are shunned for their crimes, even now.” Dedue’s normally serious expression had strong traces of anger coming through as he spoke. Byleth put a hand over her mouth to cover her frown, feeling incredibly horrible for the way his people had been treated, and for all of the losses he personally had to have experienced. Dedue looked over at her and frowned. “It would be in your best interest not to spend anymore time around me than necessary.”

Byleth placed her hands on her hips and frowned at him. After all they had been through in the last few months, he really thought she would just stop spending time with him? She shook her head at him. “I don’t care what other people think, Dedue.”

“You may think little of it now, but your reputation will eventually suffer.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You think that the mysterious daughter of a mercenary who doesn’t even know how old she is, who was referred to as the Ashen Demon while doing mercenary work, doesn’t already have a strange reputation? I don’t think spending my time with a man of Duscur will make anybody that matters think any less of me.”

Dedue looked at her in amusement. “Well, to be completely candid, it pleases me to be able to speak with you like this. If you truly do not mind, I would be glad to receive more visits from you in the future.” He smiled slightly. Byleth took a step forward and wrapped her arms around him.

“Nothing would make me happier than spending more time with you. You make me feel safe, and I appreciate that you seem so concerned about my reputation.” Byleth let out a soft sigh as Dedue wrapped his arms around her.

“I do not know why I thought for an instant that you cared about the fact that I am from Duscur.” He chuckled slightly. “But I am concerned that people will start to talk if we keep doing things like sharing embraces in the greenhouse.”

“Dedue, I promise you, if people start talking about us _hugging_ in public places, the problem is not going to be because you are a man of Duscur.” She smiled. “The only problem I can see is the other students getting jealous that I don’t hug the rest of them nearly as much.” She laughed.

Dedue frowned slightly. “His Highness already expects there is something beyond even a friendship going on between us.” Byleth had pulled away from him and was leading the way out of the greenhouse. “He was convinced we were up to something a little… less than appropriate when we found him in the library last month…” Dedue blushed. “It took days for me to assure him that he was incorrect in his assumption and you and I were just investigating Flayn’s disappearance.”

Byleth looked up at him blankly. “What on earth could he have thought a _professor_ would be doing with her student, in a library, at night, that could possibly be interpreted as inappropriate?” Sothis let out a loud groan in the back of her mind, and Dedue just looked away from her, his cheeks tinged red, but his serious expression still holding strong as they stopped outside of their rooms.

“Do not worry about it…” He shook his head slightly. “His Highness and I were going to work on some classwork and study for the upcoming exam. I shall talk with you later if you are not busy.” He smiled slightly at her and excused himself as he went to change into clothes that weren’t covered in dirt.

Byleth hummed softly to herself as she entered her room and started preparing lessons for her next class. Sothis watched her as she worked. “Did you honestly not understand what he had been implying when Dedue said the prince thought you two were up to something inappropriate?” The green haired girl tilted her head slightly. Byleth looked at her with a look that basically answered her question. Sothis frowned. “You know particularly Sylvain chases after women because he wants to be a little more than friends with them? I think I heard him tell Mercedes it was because it was obvious that all these women want to have his crest babies?”

Byleth looked at her in confusion. “You mean to tell me that Dimitri thought Dedue and I were sneaking around to do whatever it is that leads to crest babies?” Sothis put her face in her palms, quickly realizing that one of the many things Jeralt had apparently never explained to Byleth was the kinds of relationships men and women had. Byleth shook her head and went back to her lesson plan.

Sothis looked at her again. “So why didn’t you follow Dedue? I’m sure he and Dimitri would have appreciated help with their studies.”

Byleth sighed. “Sothis, I have actual duties as a professor, and Dedue has duties as Dimitri’s vassal to attend to, as well as duties as a student.” She jotted down some information on the paper in front of her. “Besides, I have a teatime scheduled with him tomorrow afternoon after I get this month’s assignment from Lady Rhea.” A smile crept onto her face, she was genuinely looking forward to the next day’s activities.

The next day, Byleth met up with her father and went to meet with Rhea and Seteth. She learned that her next mission would be helping with a mysterious illness that had befallen Rehire Village. Jeralt and his daughter owed the village a lot for the hospitality they had been shown in the past, so they agreed to do anything they could to help out. After the meeting, Jeralt decided they should talk to Manuela to see if they could gather any more information about the illness. When they arrived in the infirmary, they overheard Manuela telling Shamir how they knew as much as it wasn’t an infectious disease, but something incredibly strange was happening to residence that had caught the illness. The healer was uncertain what exactly was causing the residents to act in the manner they were, but she feared dark magic was involved.

Byleth and her father left the infirmary after learning this information, and Jeralt was about to head to his office to prepare for the upcoming visit to the village. He suggested that Byleth talk to the knights that had just returned from Remire Village, when suddenly the blue haired girl collapsed to the ground.

“Hey! What’s wrong?!” Jeralt looked at her with extreme concern in his brown eyes as he slowly helped her to her feet. Byleth rested a palm against her forehead and balanced herself on her father’s shoulder.

“I just got a little dizzy…” She sighed.

“If anything feels off, return to the infirmary, no need to grin and bear it. Got it?” Jeralt looked at his daughter with an extreme level of paternal seriousness. Byleth nodded, as much as she disliked going to the infirmary, she knew if she was actually in bad shape she should go there. “Maybe you should go rest for the day, it won’t kill you to take a day off your feet. You can talk to the knights tomorrow.” 

Byleth started to pout a little bit, she had plans she didn’t want to miss out on, but she stopped, knowing her father was right, and she should probably take it easy for the day. She sighed. “Alright, I guess I’ll go lie down for a bit.” Jeralt nodded, pulling her in for a quick hug.

“I know you don’t like sitting around doing nothing, but I don’t want you overexerting yourself. I’ll be by to check on you later, Byleth.” Jeralt gave her a gentle pat on the back and sent her on her way, heading back into the building towards his office.

As Byleth started to walk slowly back towards her room, she did start to feel just a little bit worse, feeling a bit more light-headed and incredibly exhausted. She passed by the gazebo in the middle of the courtyard, not noticing at first that Dedue had been standing there waiting for her so they could have their tea together. The large man perked up slightly when he saw her approaching, but quickly became concerned when he took notice of how pale she was looking. Byleth bit her lip when she saw him rushing up to her, standing up straighter and trying to look completely casual. 

Dedue stepped up to her and immediately placed a large hand against her forehead, frowning slightly. “Byleth, you’re burning up, are you okay?” He looked at her with emerald eyes full of concern. He shook his head. “Of course you are not okay, you obviously are running a fever and look like you are about to fall over.”

Byleth turned her head away from him and sighed. “I did collapse a little bit ago… And I do feel a bit worse for wear, but I don’t want to bother Manuela, so I was just going to my room to rest.” Byleth let out a squeak of surprise as she was suddenly lifted off the ground and cradled against the Duscran man’s body. Dedue started to walk towards her room quickly. “Dedue, you don’t have to do this…” She rested her head against his chest. “I’m also sorry I ruined our tea this week…”

Dedue hushed her gently as he opened the door to her room. “You did not ruin anything.” He assured her as he set her on her bed, gently removing her jacket from her shoulders and hanging it on the back of her chair. “There is no reason we cannot still have tea even though you are feeling unwell. I will prepare a blend of tea to help with any symptoms you may have. I could also bring you some food if you are hungry.” He ran a large hand through her hair and stroked her cheek as he helped her ease into a supine position.

Byleth smiled slightly at him. “Bring whatever tea you like, and whatever is easy to bring back from the dining hall, it’s obvious that I’m not going to be able to get rid of you easily.” She gently patted his face, causing him to chuckle softly.

“I shall return as soon as I can. You just rest.” Dedue gently tucked a blanket around her and headed out of the room. Byleth let out a long sigh and stared at the ceiling for a moment.

“Well, that is certainly one way to gain his attention.” Sothis blinked as she looked down at the blue haired girl in the bed.

“It’s probably just too much stress combined with my monthly cycle getting ready to start again.” Byleth rolled her eyes. “I hadn’t expected to feel quite this bad by the time I got to my bed though… Or for Dedue to go into nurse mode…” She smiled a little as she yawned, rolling onto her side and snuggling into her pillows, quickly drifting to sleep.

Byleth was awoken by a sudden weight on the edge of her bed. As her eyes fluttered open, she saw Dedue sitting beside her, a tray of tea and soup sitting on her nightstand. He smiled at her gently. “I brought your tea, and some soup that should help you feel better. There is apparently something going around according to some of the kitchen staff.” Byleth blinked at him in confusion, and sat up a little, the room spinning as she did. Dedue helped her sit up and stabilized her balance against her pillows, then offered her some tea.

“Thank you, Dedue.” She smiled, taking a long sip of the warm liquid. She blinked in surprise. “This is really good, usually the tea people bring me when I’m sick is bitter and kind of hard to drink.”

“I hoped you would enjoy it. It is a sweet herbal mint blend that usually helps His Highness feel better when he’s sick.” Dedue watched her as she finished off her tea. “You should also probably eat your soup while it is still warm.” Byleth was just barely awake enough to protest that she really wasn’t that hungry as the large man gently adjusted himself on the bed so he could set the tray with the bowl of soup on it in her lap. He started to spoon feed her, and she just had to draw the line.

“Dedue, I know you’re just trying to help, but I can feed myself…” She gently took the spoon from him, a little bit of disappointment flashing through his eyes. She ate her soup quickly, so he wouldn’t attempt spoon feeding her once more. After her bowl was empty, Dedue gathered the empty dishes into a pile and looked at her. Byleth had already started to slide back into her previous position on the bed.

“Is there anything else you need?” Dedue stood up, ready to return the dishes to the kitchen. She yawned softly and patted the side of her bed by the wall.

“Well, if you’d be willing to just sort of sit there and let me rest against you, that would be okay…” She blushed slightly. “But I would need you to be by the wall so I can watch the door… I don’t like it when I can’t see people coming in and out.”

Dedue’s cheeks reddened slightly, he could wait and return the dishes to the kitchen a little while later. He nodded at her. “As you wish.” He spoke softly before climbing overtop of her and sitting up next to her by the wall. The small woman next to him immediately rested her head on his chest and let out a content sigh.

“Thank you.” Byleth let out a soft yawn and closed her eyes, relaxing against him as he gently rubbed her back. She felt his heart racing under her cheek, which caused a smile to slowly creep across her face as she slowly dozed off once more. The Duscran man adjusted himself, and the sleeping woman cuddled against him, so he was in a more comfortable position. He almost wished he had brought a book to read, but seeing Byleth’s sleeping form made the uneventful silence bearable. He discovered quickly that any time she stirred in her sleep, she could be easily calmed if he rubbed her back. He had no idea how long he’d been sitting there when there was a knock at her door.

“Byleth?” It was Jeralt. “I’m coming in to check on you now, if you need me to wait, let me know now.”

Byleth let out a slight groan and buried her face into Dedue’s chest. He let out a slight sigh as he brushed some hair away from her face and pulled the blanket up over her a little more. The large man looked up awkwardly as the door opened and Jeralt entered the room. Jeralt looked back at him, his brown eyes full of amusement.

“Dedue! I hadn’t expected you to be in here. With my daughter. Alone.” The older man teased. Dedue felt his face heat up.

“I am only where I am because Byleth requested it…” He said quietly, absentmindedly rubbing the sleeping woman’s back.

“Oh, you’re on a first name basis with her now?” Jeralt chuckled as he pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat down. “Don’t worry, I’m not about to strike you down because my daughter is a cuddler when she doesn’t exactly feel well.” He sighed wistfully as he thought about the life he and Byleth had had before he returned to the monastery. “I had to sit out at least two missions when she was growing up because she had caught a cold and wouldn’t let me leave.”

Dedue raised an eyebrow at Byleth’s father. “She has done this kind of thing before?” He asked, almost wondering if she was just using him as an oversized hot water bottle.

“Only with me, and only if she’s really not feeling well. Byleth doesn’t usually let anybody get too close to her physically… or emotionally for that matter.” Byleth stirred slightly at the sound of her father’s voice and gripped at Dedue’s shirt slightly. She let out a content sound as Dedue rubbed her back in small circles.

“How long is she usually like this?” Dedue asked, tilting his head slightly.

“Well, she likes to be cuddled for a while if that’s what you mean. As for her symptoms, I think she may have just be a little burned out and needed a day to completely relax. She seemed a bit overworked and stressed, but she should be fine after a good night’s sleep.” Jeralt shrugged. “When she’s being comfortably taken care of, she usually recovers pretty quickly.” Jeralt stood up and rested a hand on his daughter’s forehead. “She’s not nearly as warm as she was earlier, and her color does seem to be coming back, so she really does seem like she should be better by morning.” He looked at Dedue. “You should be good to get up and stretch in about an hour, once she’s in a deep sleep. You just have to be sure to be there when she wakes up.”

Dedue nodded and watched as Jeralt picked up the dishes and headed towards the door. “Thank you for the advice, Jeralt.” Jeralt turned and looked back at the young man in the bed.

“Thank you for making sure my daughter felt better.” The older man smiled slightly. “She obviously cares about you since she didn’t immediately chase you out of her room.” He gave Dedue a slight wave and left the room once more, leaving the Duscran man with Byleth sleeping soundly on his chest.

The next morning, Byleth woke up to the sound of soft snores and strong arms holding her close. She opened her eyes slowly, half expecting her father to have spent the night with her like he usually did when she was sick, most of the previous day being a groggy blur. As her eyes focused on the large figure holding her, she turned bright red. It was not her father with her, not even close, it was the man she had slowly been developing feelings for over the last few months. She tried to sit up, but Dedue had her held securely against him, so all efforts to escape were futile. Byleth let out a sigh as she rested her head back against Dedue’s chest, listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart and nearly dozing off again. She shook her head and gently tapped his chest.

“Dedue?” She looked up at his sleeping face and felt him inhale deeply, loosening his grip on her slightly. “Dedue… It’s morning, can you please wake up so I can go take a shower and start getting ready for my day?” She watched as he slowly opened his eyes, looking at her with slight confusion before his brain registered what was going on, and why he was in her room.

“Are you feeling better today?” He asked quietly as he let out a yawn. He released her gently from his grip and stretched his arms out.

She nodded as she quickly crawled out of bed and pulled on her jacket. “I feel a _lot_ better today.”

He slowly swung his legs over the side of her bed and looked at her with green eyes full of curiosity. “Did you sleep well?” He asked, taking slight notice of a small puddle of drool that had formed on his chest where her head had been resting. She nodded again and actually looked at him, then frowned slightly.

“Dedue, did you sleep in your uniform?” Byleth asked with slight concern. They had offered her an Officer’s Academy uniform shortly after she had started teaching there, and upon trying it on she decided she would never wear it because it was not a comfortable outfit by any stretch of the imagination. The Duscran man nodded tiredly.

“Once you got comfortable, you did not seem to want me to get up, as you grabbed onto my shirt and would not let go. I did not have much of a choice other than to stay where I was.” He smiled slightly as he climbed to his feet. “I am glad to see that you are feeling better.” He gave her a gently pat on the head before pulling on the boots he had left by her door.

Byleth blushed. “I’m sorry for inconveniencing you. You really didn’t have to spend the night…” Dedue stood up to his full height and stretched a little more before looking down at her. “I chose to stay because I care about you. Now, I should probably leave before anybody has the chance to notice me leaving your room and gets the wrong idea…” Dedue opened the door and stepped outside. “I will see you later, Professor.” He gave her a slight bow before walking to the next room over.

“He took very good care of you yesterday.” Sothis said to Byleth as the young professor started to gather her supplies to take a shower. “He only got up once to use the restroom and was barely gone for five minutes. He even stuck around after Jeralt was through to check on you and said you’d be fine by morning.” The green haired girl shrugged.

“He had the opportunity to leave, but decided to stay anyway? _And_ he didn’t bother to change into something more comfortable when he had the chance?” Byleth blushed slightly.

“I believe he did not wish to leave you alone any longer than necessary and decided that your comfort was more important.” Sothis smiled slightly. “The man genuinely cares about you.”

Byleth exited her room with a slight smile on her face, and as she walked towards the bathhouse, she couldn’t help but think that perhaps the day would come that she and Dedue would be more than just friends. Perhaps even sooner than she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was yet another case of once my pen hit the paper on this chapter, I just couldn't quite stop. It felt silly to only cover Dedue's B-support, which I admittedly should have tried to shoehorn in a little earlier, so I combined it with Byleth getting a little more sick than she was in cannon before the battle in Remire Village... Look I wanted an excuse to have Dedue actively taking care of her, and this idea came into my head so I ran with it. I also really wanted to come up with a good interaction between Dedue and Jeralt, and this was my solution. As a heads up, the next chapter was going to encompass all of the events of chapter 9 of the game, but I ended up writing a lot for that one as well, so now the next chapter is going to be all fluffy ball related things. It should be up in a couple days


	6. The Grand Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garreg Mach is hosting a ball to celebrate the anniversary of its founding, and Byleth is actually pretty determined to get a dance in with Dedue

It was a rough time following the trip to Remire Village. Though Byleth, her father, and her students managed to save many of the people that lived there, Solon had already destroyed most of the village by setting it ablaze and scorching most of the land. It hurt every time Byleth had to look at the people who had come to the monastery for refuge, the sad orphans who had lost their families, the parents who had lost their only children, entire families flocked broken to Garreg Mach from Remire.

To attempt to lighten the mood, Lady Rhea reminded everybody that the Garreg Mach anniversary celebration was coming up, and there was going to be a grand ball thrown as part of the festivities. The traditional White Heron Cup dance competition was scheduled to be held the day before the ball, where each house was to put forward their best dancer to compete. After some careful consideration, Byleth decided that Mercedes would be the representative from the Blue Lions, as she was the most graceful in the class.

In the weeks leading up to the ball, Byleth trained not only Mercedes in the art of dance, but any of her students that showed interest. Dedue watched from the sidelines as the majority of his class slowly started to pick up not only the moves for the dance Mercedes would be doing in the competition, but a little bit of ballroom dancing in preparation for the ball. As Byleth demonstrated a standard waltz, using Dimitri as her dance partner as he claimed to have the most experience, she happened to notice a slight glare of jealousy from Dedue towards his friend. After class had dismissed, Byleth approached Dedue to ask what was on his mind.

“Dedue, I couldn’t help but notice how frustrated you seemed to be during my waltz demonstration…” She looked up at the large man, resting one hand on her chin. Dedue looked away from her, a slight red tinge coming to his face. “Dedue? Did you want to learn to dance as well?” She asked him, leaning slightly to try to make eye contact.

He turned to look at her. “I am not nearly as light on my feet as my peers.”

“That isn’t what I asked.” She smiled slightly.

Dedue blinked and tilted his head slightly. “Do you wish to teach me to dance?”

“I’d be happy to teach you. The ball wouldn’t be as fun if you were the only one not trying to dance.” She smirked slightly. “Besides, if you don’t want to, I’m sure Dimitri would be more than willing to share a dance with me at the ball.” Byleth saw a spark of jealousy flash in Dedue’s green eyes.

“Teach me to dance. Just some basic steps.” The large man practically commanded, gently taking her hand in his and staring at her intently.

“Alright, this shouldn’t be too much of a challenge.” She smiled, gently guiding his hands to the proper positions on her body.

“Byleth!” A voice called from the entrance of the classroom. Byleth poked her head around Dedue’s large form and groaned internally when she saw Seteth approaching. “I need to speak with you in my office. Now.” The green haired man looked incredibly unhappy.

Byleth sighed and gently gave Dedue a pat on the shoulder. “Perhaps we’ll continue this lesson later…” She looked up at him apologetically, noticing disappointment in his eyes as she pulled away from him to follow Seteth.

When Byleth finally got out of Seteth’s office, the sun had gone down and most of the students had returned to their rooms for the evening. The young professor was just so frustrated by the entire meeting, because it had turned out that it hadn’t been an incredibly pressing matter Seteth wished to discuss, he just wanted to let her know how disappointed Flayn had been that she hadn’t been chosen as the representative for the White Heron Cup, and how he felt that teaching the young girl to waltz with a man was just begging for something unsavory to happen. Seteth went on and on, complaining for hours before he was finally done.

“That man just droned on and on! He was so upset that you had not picked Flayn for this silly competition and wouldn’t drop the subject.” Sothis completely shared Byleth’s frustration with the whole ordeal. “I did not think it _possible_ to speak so long about a single grievance.”

The young professor rubbed her temples as she walked back to her room. That dance lesson was the only time she had to spare between now and the White Heron Cup, and she was not happy that her chance for such intimate one on one time with Dedue had been ripped away by Seteth’s griping. Byleth went into her room, closing the door behind her, and immediately flopping face-first onto her bed. She buried her face in a pillow and just screamed for a minute. After she let out her pent-up frustrations, she realized the door was wide open, and made a second realization: this was not her room. This was not her bed, the blankets were all wrong, and there was a very slight, but pleasant masculine scent to the pillow she had just been screaming into.

Dedue cleared his throat from the doorway. “Professor, I believe we have discussed before that your room is the next one over…” He spoke with slight amusement in his voice. Byleth turned bright red and quickly scrambled to a sitting position.

“And I believe we’ve discussed that you don’t need to call me ‘Professor’ outside of class.” Byleth crossed her arms. Dedue chuckled slightly as he sat on the bed beside her.

“Why are you in my bed?” He asked, leaning back on his mattress. Byleth let out a sigh and told him about her meeting with Seteth.

“I guess the whole thing just had me so frustrated that I miscounted the doors in my head.” She let out a slight groan and rested her head against him. He gently patted her on the back and sighed.

“He probably did not realize that he was wasting so much of your valuable time.” He gently pushed her away from him so he could look at her face. “I am sorry he cut off our dance lesson.”

Byleth shrugged slightly. “At this point, I’ve come to expect that kind of thing from him.” She smiled slightly at Dedue. “We could continue our dance lesson now if you wanted…”

Dedue stiffened up and looked away from her. “Um… I apologize, but I hurt my ankle earlier while training… After you went to Seteth’s office… I really shouldn’t be doing anything too strenuous like dancing right now.”

“You hurt your ankle?” Byleth looked at him with slight concern. She could tell that he was lying to her, but he seemed committed, so she played along with him. “Is that why you did not simply remove me from your room? Your ankle is injured so you couldn’t possibly just lift me up and put me outside?”

Dedue nodded. “That is exactly the reason.”

“Well, I suppose I should just leave you be then.” She stood up and headed towards the door. “I hope you feel better soon. Goodnight, Dedue.” As she closed the door behind her and went to her own room, Byleth heard Dedue let out a loud groan of frustration.

A week later, the ball preparations were completely done, and the White Heron Cup was held. Mercedes one the title for the Blue Lions, and afterwards the entire class met up in their classroom. They all swore an oath to one another that no matter where they ended up in five years, they would all return to Garreg Mach to celebrate the Millennium Festival. After a little persuading from the class, even Dimitri finally agreed that even though he would be king by then, he would return as well for the class reunion.

The next day was the ball, and Byleth had picked up a dress in town for the occasion, figuring if all her students could get dressed up for the event, there was no reason she shouldn’t as well. It was a simple ball gown, floor-length and sleeveless, it was mostly pink, but the center panels of both the bodice and the skirt were black. Byleth had also allowed Mercedes to apply a little bit of makeup to her face, and the young professor had styled her hair, so it was all off to one side.

Byleth headed to the event hall, and mostly stood off to the side and watched as the more noble students danced gracefully across the floor. Claude saw her watching, and politely offered to dance with her. Before long, Byleth had danced with just about every male student in her house, including Felix, who usually bristled when she was near him anywhere but the training grounds. She was having a great time, but every so often as she twirled around the dance floor, she noticed Dedue in the corner, seemingly longingly as she danced.

After a few more dances, Byleth finally managed to break free and sneak outside to grab some air. “You were enjoying being the most popular professor at the ball, weren’t you?” Sothis teased as Byleth wandered around the courtyard in search of peace and quiet. Out of nowhere, she nearly crashed right into Dimitri, who had also wandered outside. He ended up telling her all about the time Edelgard had taught him to dance when they were children, and how they had become fast friends, neither of them realizing anything about the other’s background. He mentioned giving her a dagger as a parting gift, which was symbolic to him, but it was a bit strange to Byleth who just thought a dagger was a practical gift. Byleth noticed a wistful expression on Dimitri’s face as he recounted the time he spent with Edelgard, and suggested that perhaps he should just try to reconnect with his old friend. Dimitri was under the impression that they had both changed too much as people, and it was impossible to become friends again. He sighed slightly as he decided to rejoin the festivities inside, bidding Byleth farewell before returning to the event hall.

Sothis spoke up again as soon as Dimitri had left. “Where are you going to wander off to? You couldn’t even avoid Dimitri, and there are still many students looking to dance with you.” Byleth thought a moment before an idea crept into her head. “Ahh, the Goddess Tower waits for you.” Sothis caught on quickly as Byleth started moving towards the tall structure. Byleth climbed the stairs and was surprised to find that she was not alone.

Dedue jumped a little in surprise as the young woman approached him. “What are you doing here?” He asked turning to look at her, taking in her appearance.

Byleth smiled slightly and looked back at him, crossing her arms. “I could ask you the same.”

“Though I elected to attend this ball, I did not know what to do with myself once there…” He rested a hand on his chin and stared at her intently. “I do not wish to be a nuisance to His Highness or to my classmates. Thus, I sought solitude.” He shrugged. “I did notice a number of people looking for you, however.” Dedue had a twinge of jealousy in his voice. “Should you not return to the festivities?” He looked away from her for a moment.

Byleth shook her head. “Not just yet…”

“As you wish.” Dedue looked up at the stars. Byleth edged closer to him and turned her gaze to the sky as well. “The stars seem brighter here somehow.” A blush started to creep across the man of Duscur’s face. “I have heard that the goddess of Fódlan grants a special blessing at this tower.” Somehow Byleth’s hand had made its way into his. “The blessing ensures that any oath sworn between man and woman here shall be fulfilled.”

Byleth felt her face heat up as Dedue gently squeezed her hand. He looked at her a slight shrug. “That is what I have heard.” He looked back to the stars. “We had similar legends in Duscur. Some elements of human culture are universal, I suppose.” He turned back to her, his green eyes meeting her blue ones. “Is there an oath you would wish to swear?”

Byleth was momentarily lost in his eyes, entranced by his gaze, and she shook her head. “Not that I can think of…”

Dedue smiled slightly. “I understand. But while I have this opportunity, permit me to swear an oath to you.” The large man took both of her hands in his, a serious look in his eyes. “I swear that we will look upon these same stars again when His Highness has led us to a more tranquil age.”

Byleth felt her pulse quicken as she and Dedue stood locked in each other’s gaze. “I look forward to it.” She smiled.

“Good.” Dedue smiled back at her, gently raising one of her hands to his face and placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. Byleth shivered slightly from the intimate gesture. Dedue frowned slightly. “There is a chill in the air, is there not? I am accustomed to cold weather, but you should go back indoors.”

Byleth looked up at him, a blush still on her cheeks. “Will you share a dance with me if we return to the ball?” She asked.

Dedue frowned slightly. “I still do not know how to dance, but if you still wish to teach me, I will endeavor to learn.”

A smile spread across Byleth’s face. “Well, I still wish to teach you…” She gave his hands a gently squeeze. She watched his face turn slightly pink.

The music from the events hall could still be heard very clearly all the way up in the Goddess Tower. Byleth gently guided Dedue’s large hands into the proper places, one hand on her waist, the other held up. She gently rested her free hand on his shoulder, her pulse quickening once more. With just a little bit of instruction, soon the two of them were sharing a dance, just the two of them, in the Goddess Tower. Dedue stepped on the small woman’s foot only twice before finding the proper rhythm and actually beginning to move a little lighter on his feet. As they danced, their eyes met, and with each step the bond between them grew stronger.

“You look breathtaking tonight, Byleth…” Dedue said softly, twirling her gently.

“And you look dashing as usual…” She smiled back at him. As the music stopped, they maintained their gaze, a tangible feeling of desire in the air. Dedue gently placed a hand on her cheek and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her lips. Byleth kissed him back gently, running her hand slowly from his shoulder to his chest. He pulled away from her, gently putting an arm around her shoulders.

“Let us return…” He said softly. The large man noticed the bare skin on her arms was cold to the touch. “If the cold is too much, I will lend you my coat.” He said as he led her towards the stairs. Dedue did not wait for a response before shrugging off his large, fur lined coat and gently placing it over her shoulders. On her smaller frame, it was as long as her usual jacket. She laughed slightly and held onto his arm as they went back to the ground floor. The couple stood briefly outside the entrance to the event hall, looking at each other.

“This has been a wonderful time with you, but I must go check on His Highness.” Dedue smiled softly at her and gently kissed her cheek. “I will see you later.” He squeezed her hand gently before wandering back into the ball in search of Dimitri.

As soon as Dedue was out of sight, Sothis let out a screech of delight in Byleth’s head. “You two finally made your move! I’m so proud of you!” Byleth blushed slightly and pulled Dedue’s coat closer around her, taking in his scent in the process. “It seems everyone is having a delightful time. Will you not dance some more?” Sothis asked curiously.

Byleth shook her head. “I am actually kind of tired…”

“How dull of you! Had I a body of my own… Oh, I would sing and dace until I fell upon the ground!”

Byleth rolled her eyes. “If you had a body of your own, you would have been meddling in my personal affairs a lot worse by now…”

“And it wouldn’t have taken you so long to finally get a kiss from that man you seem to want to be with so badly.” Sothis retorted.

As Byleth was holding her internal conversation, Lady Rhea walked by, and Sothis’s ever curious and bored nature led to Byleth following after the archbishop. When they had caught up with Rhea, they saw the archbishop singing a song that rang familiar in Sothis’s ears. Hearing the song seemed to cause Sothis minor distress, so Byleth quickly headed back towards her dorms, Sothis seemingly having fallen asleep.

As she approached her room, Byleth noticed Dedue heading the same direction. She blushed slightly and practically ran up to him, gently placing a hand on his arm. The large man stopped and looked at her, a smile creeping across his face.

“I thought it was you I saw approaching.” Dedue chuckled. Byleth gently wrapped her arms around him and smiled. He returned her embrace and rubbed her back gently. The small woman let out a slight yawn as she relaxed against him.

“I genuinely enjoy being in your company, Dedue.” She nuzzled his chest softly.

“It is getting late.” Dedue rested a hand gently on her cheek and turned her head to look at him. “You should go to bed.” Byleth pouted as she looked up at him.

“How am I supposed to sleep after a night as perfect as this one?” She crossed her arms.

“Byleth, you are going to need your energy for the upcoming mission tomorrow. We all are.” Dedue sighed as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. Byleth let out another soft yawn and nuzzled against his hand slightly. “It is very obvious that you are tired.” He chuckled slightly, picking her up with ease, allowing her to rest her head against him. “I am taking you back to your room before you either freeze or fall asleep on your feet.”

Byleth let out a soft sigh and Dedue carried her back to her room, nuzzling against his neck and closing her eyes for a moment. Dedue opened the door to her room and gently sat her down on her bed. She frowned slightly as the warmth from his body left her, her blue eyes opening slowly to look at him, gently bringing a hand up to his cheek. He smiled at her.

“I absolutely love your smile…” She whispered softly. His face warmed up under her hand.

“Your smile is also quite something to behold.” He whispered back. Byleth leaned up and kissed him gently. Dedue stroked her hair as he pulled away. “You should go to sleep.”

Byleth nodded tiredly, she hated to admit it, but he was right, and she was exhausted. Dedue gave her one more gentle kiss before standing up. “Goodnight, Byleth.” He smiled as he exited the room.

Byleth climbed to her feet and hung Dedue’s coat on the back of her chair, then quickly changed out of her dress and into her pajamas. She climbed into bed, drifting off into a deep peaceful sleep. She didn’t think her life could possibly get any better than it was in this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am going to admit straight out that I just could not visualize anything remotely formal wear-like for Dedue in this chapter ^^; but my brain had a decent idea right out for Byleth in a ball gown... I genuinely enjoyed writing this chapter, but I have been busy af the last week between my day job and the seasonal haunted house acting I do, so I have had literally none time to properly figure out what I'm doing with the next chapter, all I know is it's going to be a sad time because Jeralt, and then after that I have to figure out how close to the timeskip I want to take this fic, but I do have a decent idea what I'm going to do for the first post timeskip chapter... I've been rambling, but basically it may be a bit longer before I have the next part up as I write in my spare time and my spare time is currently GONE, and I apologize in advance ^^;


	7. Sorrow's Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeralt's death came as a huge shock for Byleth, and she once again has to deal with new, foreign feelings for her. At least she has a couple of her students ready to watch out for her when she needs it

How could things have gone wrong so quickly? She had finally managed to kiss Dedue, but before they even had a moment to talk about it the next day, Byleth’s entire world came crashing down around her. Byleth was curled up in the chair in her father’s office, face in her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks. It hadn’t even been a difficult mission, all the students that had been trapped at the chapel had made it out fine, and none of her students had gotten injured in the fight against the monsters. Jeralt had even told her she’d done a good job leading her students through that battle, but then they found Monica, the student who had been rescued with Flayn from the Death Knight, in the rubble of the chapel, Jeralt had checked the red haired girl for injury, told her she was good to go, and sent her on her way. Byleth had stood back and watched in horror as Monica drew a dagger and stabbed Jeralt directly in the back, calling him a pathetic old man. Without a moment’s hesitation, Byleth used the power of her Divine Pulse to turn back the hands of time, and charged at Monica with the Sword of the Creator at the ready, as she pulled the sword back, ready to swing it forward in its whip form, a barely human figure materialized in front of the former mercenary and blocked the blow, resulting in Jeralt getting stabbed once more. In frustration, Byleth tried this three more times before finally admitting defeat and rushing to her dying father’s side.

Byleth held her father in her arms and looked at him with her usual unreadable expression. Jeralt looked up at her with sadness in his eyes.

“It looks like… I’m going to have to leave you know.” He struggled to get the words out. Byleth’s eyes began to water as a new, foreign feeling of loss and sadness came over her. Jeralt looked at her in surprise as a tear rolled off her cheek and landed on his face. He chuckled weakly. “To think that the first time I saw you cry… your tears would be for me.” Jeralt turned to his daughter. “It’s sad, and yet… I’m happy for it.” He looked up at her one last time, and she had tears slowly and steadily rolling down her face, sadness easily read in her blue eyes. The last words he spoke to her would be forever etched into her memory.

“Thank you… kid.” With those words, Jeralt had fallen dead in Byleth’s arms, the tears in her eyes starting to flow faster, and a soft sob escaping her throat as rain began to pour down around her, mixing with the tears on her face. Byleth held her father close and cried silently until her students finally managed to pull her away. Dimitri had tasked Dedue with getting their professor back to Garreg Mach, and the Duscran man had to use a lot of strength to pull the small woman from her father. Dedue had carried her back to the monastery in his arms, and she had buried her face in his chest, sobbing slightly the whole way back.

Dedue brought the professor back to her quarters and set her on the bed. Byleth let out a soft sob and pulled her blanket over her head, turning from Dedue so he wouldn’t see her crying. The large man rested a hand gently on her shoulder.

“Byleth… Do you need me to do anything for you at this time? Anything at all, and I will do it.” Dedue asked her softly.

She shook her head. “No… I… I just really need to be alone right now…” She let out a slight sob and buried her face in her pillows, tears flowing down her cheeks.

Dedue nodded. “As you wish. I will check on you before I go to bed tonight…” He let out a soft sigh and left the room.

For the first time in her life, Byleth had cried herself to sleep that night. When she woke up, she saw a pitcher of water on her nightstand, and a white Duscran flower sitting next to it. She took a drink, composed herself just enough to make it to her father’s quarters, and then upon arriving climbed into the chair he spent so much time strategizing in since they came to the monastery, and broke down crying all over again. As Byleth sobbed away in the chair, Sothis decided to make an appearance.

“So, this is where your father lived…” The green haired girl said as she looked around. Byleth remained quiet and didn’t look at her. “Well, your father _did_ say he had something hidden away for you if anything ever happened to him, and my bets are on it being behind that bookcase over there.” Sothis gestured to a bookcase against the back wall that appeared to have been moved slightly. “Go have a look.”

Byleth rubbed her eyes gently and nodded, getting up and reaching behind the mysterious bookcase. She found two things hidden away back there, what appeared to be some kind of book, and a small pouch containing a ring that had once belonged to her mother. Tears formed once more in her eyes as she remembered the conversation she and her father had had at her mother’s grave about the ring, how he hoped that one day Byleth would give it to someone who meant as much to her as her mother had to him. It hurt her just a little that he would never get the chance to see her give the ring to that special someone. Byleth slipped the ring into her pocket and flipped through the book she had found. It appeared to be her father’s journal, which she brought back to the desk and flipped to a section he had marked.

Sothis scanned the pages and told Byleth where to start reading. “It seems these passages are from before you were born…” Sothis blinked as she and Byleth read through Jeralt’s journal. It appeared that what Jeralt had been meaning to tell Byleth for months was how he had faked her death as a baby and fled Garreg Mach. From what they read, Jeralt was rightfully distrusting of Rhea because while she told him Byleth was perfectly fine, as an infant she never cried or laughed, and when he had Byleth examined in secret by an outside doctor it was revealed she had no heartbeat!

Byleth was slightly in shock by this news. She was fully aware that her heart didn’t beat, which had been one of the reasons Jeralt was so intent on being sure his child could defend herself. She had taken a nasty fall on a battlefield when she was around 14, and a nearby medic had almost pronounced her dead on the spot, and Jeralt made sure she was strong enough after that so it wouldn’t happen again. What had really caught Byleth off guard was the fact that Rhea knew about her lack of a heartbeat, and somehow the archbishop was responsible. Byleth now desperately wanted to know what Rhea had done to her as a baby, but had no idea how she could even bring that up with Rhea at this point. Byleth continued to skim through the journal, reading about some of the incidents that had occurred after they had left Garreg Mach, and she started to get teary-eyed again. She wiped a tear off her cheek and sat up straight as someone approached the office.

“There you are. Lady Rhea is looking for you, Professor.” Dimitri entered the room and looked at her. “And after your audience, why don’t you join me at the dining hall? You haven’t eaten since… since it happened, have you?”

Byleth let out a soft sigh and shook her head, the grief that had built up in her mind killed any appetite she might have had, and she definitely was not in the mood to be around people just yet. The crown prince frowned.

“Forgive me… I suppose it’s too soon to try and coax you back into the swing of things…” Byleth leaned over the desk as he spoke, not really wanting to talk to him. Dimitri frowned and looked at her with sympathy, he was familiar with the kind of emotions she was feeling right now. “Stay here until you’ve found some peace. I’ll cover for you with Lady Rhea and everyone else.”

Byleth looked up at him, a couple stray tears rolling down her cheeks. “Thank you, Dimitri.”

The prince nodded. “We’ll be waiting for you whenever you’re ready to return to us.” He turned to leave, then turned back to her and told her there was strength in taking time to heal, and there was no need to speed through her grieving just to appear stronger in the eyes of her students. “I think it’s also important to remember that eventually your tears will dry up, no matter how sad you are now. That’s when you have to figure out what you’re living for, what you can cling to to get you moving forward again.”

Byleth tilted her head slightly. “What I’m living for?”

Dimitri described the events of Duscur, and how his family and friends had died with nothing he could do to stop it. “Now, the burden of the work they left behind falls on me. I must ensure they have no regrets. It’s a heavy burden, but accepting it gave me the strength to pick myself up and start moving again.” He looked her in the eyes. “Jeralt is gone, so what will you do now? What must you do?” Dimitri sighed slightly. “I’ve probably bothered you enough for today… But I feel you should know that Seteth is gathering the knights to do a full scale search for the enemy. It won’t be long before they find their trail. I plan to stand by you no matter what, Professor. Through anything. Until the bitter end.” And on that note, the prince left. Had she been in better spirits, Byleth probably would have been joking with Sothis about how romantic the prince’s words had been, and how he should really take the hint that she’s not into him that way, but instead Byleth rested her head on her father’s desk and let out a loud sigh.

Sothis raised an eyebrow and looked at Byleth. “I would ask if you had given any thought to the words Dimitri had said, but since I can sense the majority of your thoughts, I know that you sort of zoned out about halfway through his story and haven’t given much thought about what you want to live for.” Sothis sighed and looked back to Jeralt’s journal. “This book is full of secrets yet unknown. We’ll have to read more later.” The green haired girl looked at Byleth. “I have at least figured one thing out. I know why our fates are intertwined.” Instead of elaborating then and there, Sothis yawned, basically signaling she was going to rest for a while. Byleth let out a sigh and climbed to her feet, going to her meeting with Lady Rhea.

After her meeting with Rhea, Byleth returned to her room and took a drink of water, then curled up in her bed. She had a lot of new information about her father and her own past rolling around in her head now, because Rhea told the young professor about how she had met Jeralt. Back when Jeralt was just a kingdom soldier, Rhea had saved his life, and basically as thanks he had agreed to join the Knights of Seiros. Rhea also filled in a couple of the gaps in Byleth’s knowledge, like how her mother had been a nun at the monastery that Jeralt had fallen in love with, and how she had died in childbirth, choosing to give up her life so Rhea could save Byleth. Jeralt had not taken that news well and had left the monastery with Byleth, only to return 20 years later. After dropping all this information on the young professor, the archbishop told her to take the rest of the day to mend her heart and sent her on her way.

Byleth had a lot to think about, and she just couldn’t keep a coherent line of thought in her head with all this new knowledge. She pulled the blanket around herself and buried her head under her pillows, letting out a soft sigh. Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

“Byleth?” It was Dedue again. She didn’t exactly know what to say to him, or if she even wanted him coming into her room and seeing her crying again. The door creaked open slowly. “Byleth, His Highness informed me that you have not eaten since that fateful day at the chapel, so I brought you some fresh bread and sweets…” Byleth was a little confused as to why everyone was so worried that she hadn’t been eating, it had only been about 48 hours since Jeralt’s passing, and she felt fine physically. Dedue entered the room with a tray of baked goods. “I know it is not the healthiest solution, but I know you have a soft spot for fresh bread, and you need to eat something…”

Byleth rolled over and looked up at him. He set the tray down on her nightstand and offered her a handkerchief to dry her tears. She thanked him and started to sit up, blowing her nose and wiping a stray tear from her cheek. Dedue sat on the bed next to her and offered her a small loaf of bread that was still warm. Byleth took the bread and gingerly started nibbling on it, leaning against Dedue. The large man took that opportunity to pull her into his lap, she only protested slightly before giving in and nuzzling against him as she continued to eat her bread.

“It’s important that you eat in situations like this…” He said softly as he watched her slowly finish off the bread she was eating. She nodded and rested her head in the crook of his neck.

“I know…” She sighed. “It’s just been so hard to think about eating when the only thing on my mind has been Jeralt’s death on a loop…” She sniffled slightly as tears started to well up in her eyes. “There was nothing I could do to stop it. Not even turning back the hands of time was enough to save him.” Byleth let out a soft sob and buried her face in his neck. He gently rubbed her back in small circles.

“Just let it all out… I will remain here as long as you need me to.” Dedue whispered, kissing the top of her head gently. Byleth gripped the front of Dedue’s shirt and cried her eyes out for about another twenty minutes before calming down a little. She looked up at Dedue with red eyes and sniffed.

“I’m sorry I’m such a horrible crier… This is the first time anything like this has ever happened to me…” A couple more tears rolled down her cheeks. Dedue gently placed a hand on cheek, wiping away a few of her tears. Byleth closed her eyes and nuzzled slightly against his hand.

“It’s alright. Nobody is graceful when they cry, you just have to let it out and not care what you look like doing it sometimes.” Dedue whispered as he gently caressed her cheek with his thumb. Byleth’s mind had started to wander once more, and tears started to flow again as a thought occurred to her.

“Dedue, I never Jeralt how much I cared about him, how much it meant to me that he was my father…” Byleth sniffed. “I never told him that I loved him… He probably died thinking I never truly cared about him.” Tears started flowing down her cheeks again.

Dedue pulled her close and shushed her softly. “Jeralt knew how much you cared about him. He mentioned that he was glad that the first time you cried was for him, obviously your tears got through to him in the end even if your words didn’t…” His words seemed to put to rest that particular fear for her, but he could tell that Byleth had a lot more going on in her head because her tears continued to seep into his shirt.

“I never had the chance to tell him how close I was getting to you, Dedue…” Byleth sobbed softly. Dedue blushed slightly, thinking about how a conversation about dating could have gone between Byleth and her father.

“To be fair, we haven’t really discussed what happened at the ball…” He rubbed her back gently. This change in subject seemed to distract her briefly, and Byleth stopped sobbing for a moment, looking up at him again.

“We haven’t talked about that… Have we?” She tilted her head slightly. “Where would we even consider our relationship right now?”

Dedue blushed. “Well, it could be considered romantic, given the amount of time we spend together when we don’t have other tasks to attend to, as well as the intimate dance we shared in the Goddess Tower, and the few kisses we shared throughout that night…” He looked at her, gently holding her hand. “And it is obvious I care about you strongly enough to ensure you actually ate something and have someone to vent all of your current stresses to.”

Byleth tapped her chin slightly. “Well, most of my other students also kept telling me I needed to eat, and I’m sure just about any of them would just as willingly sit here with me…” Dedue smiled slightly at her.

“Well, how many of them actually made it past the door?” He asked, kissing her forehead gently. Byleth blushed slightly, still not used to anybody showing her that kind of affection. She rested her head against his chest and sighed.

“You have a fair point, my sobs and cries to leave me alone actually did keep the majority of them away…” Byleth closed her eyes and listened to his heart beating under her ear. “I genuinely appreciate what you’re doing for me, Dedue.” She relaxed against him and he slowly leaned back onto the mattress.

“I could not just leave you alone, wasting away to nothing with plots for revenge for your father’s death raging so strongly in your mind.” He said as he adjusted so they were laying properly in her bed. She let out a soft yawn and pulled her blanket closer, snuggling against him. He watched as a few stray tears streaked her face and she slowly started to drift off in his warm embrace.

Soon after Byleth had fallen asleep, there was a knock at the door. The sleeping professor didn’t stir, and Dedue did not know exactly how he should handle the situation as the door opened. Dimitri poked his head into the room and looked at his friend in surprise.

“Dedue? What are you doing in the professor’s room?” The prince asked, coming into the room and tilting his head at the large man on the bed. Dedue gestured quietly to the sleeping Byleth who was clinging tightly to him as she slept.

“Helping her through a difficult time…”

Dimitri shrugged. “I was just stopping by to see if she’d gotten anything to eat yet. She hadn’t when I saw her earlier.”

“I made sure to take care of that the moment you mentioned it to me. I brought her a tray of baked goods and I’ve been making sure she stays hydrated as well.” Dedue informed Dimitri.

The prince smiled slightly. “It’s good to see you fawning over someone else for a change.” He chuckled, causing Dedue to blush. “Well, since you seem to have this under control, I’ll leave you two alone. Be sure to let the professor know I’m available to talk if she needs me.” Dimitri gave Dedue a wave as he walked out of the room.

The next couple hours while Byleth slept in Dedue’s embrace went very similarly, one of his classmates would poke in to check on their professor, Dedue would assure them he had everything taken care of, and they would praise him for his kindness. The man of Duscur was a bit impressed by how heavy a sleeper Byleth was, especially considering that when Annette stopped by, she had managed to knock over the water pitcher and broke a glass in the process. It took a lot of effort to climb out from under Byleth’s sleeping form so he could help clean up the broken glass.

It was starting to get dark by the time Byleth finally woke up. Dedue was sitting at the foot of her bed at this point, and she slowly sat up to look at him, stretching slightly. Byleth tilted her head as she processed that Dedue was not where he had been when she had fallen asleep. Dedue inched closer to her so he would be within reach if she needed physical contact.

“I’m sorry I am not curled up next to you, but there was a slight incident with one of your students and a water glass…” He sighed. Byleth raised an eyebrow. “Many of your students stopped by while you were taking your nap, even some of the students from other houses.” Dedue nodded towards a small pile of sweets, flowers, and other things the students had brought to help her feel better.

Byleth smiled slightly at the kindness of her students, then looked at Dedue. “How did the other students react to finding you in my bed?” She asked crawling towards him and resting her head in his lap gently. Dedue blushed slightly at her choice of headrest and took one of her hands in his.

“Well, Mercedes and Annette thought it was a very sweet sight, Dimitri seemed slightly amused, Sylvain was very clearly jealous, and the rest of our house didn’t really acknowledge it too much.” Dedue stroked her hair gently. “Claude stopped by as well, and he asked when the wedding was, because if you were being ‘that touchy-feely’ with me, we were obviously betrothed.” Dedue looked away from her.

Byleth’s cheeks turned pink as she slowly sat up. “He really said that?” She asked, slipping a blanket around her shoulders and leaning against Dedue’s large form. He nodded.

“I would not make up something like that…” He looked back at her, his face burning. Byleth nodded, knowing that it would be very unlikely for Dedue to make up such a statement. She let out a slight sigh and stood up with her blanket still around her shoulders, heading towards the tray of baked goods Dedue had brought in earlier. As she picked up a wild berry tart from the tray and took a bite, memories of her father from her childhood washed over her and tears started rolling down her face again. Dedue quickly climbed to his feet and wrapped his arms around her.

Dedue gave her a slightly guilty look. “I apologize, I had debated what to bring you, and remembered that you always smile when while even talking about wild berry tarts, but I failed to take into consideration _why_ they were your favorites.”

Byleth shook her head and carefully swallowed another bite, she wasn’t going to waste a perfectly good tart just because she was sad. “It’s fine, you meant well…” She rested her head against Dedue’s chest, sniffling slightly. “You had no way of knowing just how bad that would actually hurt me.” She felt Dedue stiffen a little at her words.

“I do know just how bad that kind of association can hurt…” He said quietly with a frown. “To this day I still cannot eat any of the food my mother had prepared the day before Duscur fell… And if I stand too close to the blacksmith’s stall in the market, I still shed tears because everything about it reminds me of my father.”

Byleth looked up at him, feeling a little guilty herself. “I’m sorry Dedue… I… I really didn’t mean it like that…” He looked down at her, wiping a crumb off the side of her mouth, and let out a soft sigh.

“I know you didn’t.” Dedue let go of her and slumped onto the bed. Byleth climbed onto the bed next to him and he gently took her hand. “Just know that I too have lost my family. I may not have watched them die the way you watched Jeralt, but as I walked through the remains of my town as Dimitri led me out, I saw the mangled of both my parents as well as my sister… For years I would wake up in a cold sweat because there was nothing I could have done, and it haunted me.” Byleth watched a tear roll down his cheek as he spoke. “I will always be here to talk if you need me, because I am one of the few people who can understand the loss you are feeling.”

Byleth nodded, tears still welling in her eyes, but now they weren’t for the loss of her father alone, they were also from knowing Dedue was still suffering internally from his own losses. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and nuzzled against him. “I will remember that…” She whispered. “But just remember that if you never need to talk, and Dimitri isn’t the right person to confide in, I’m here for you too.”

Dedue rubbed her back and nodded. “Thank you.” Byleth slowly pulled away from him and gently kissed him on the cheek. As she did so, her stomach let out a loud rumble, causing Dedue to chuckle slightly. “It seems your appetite is returning.” He said as he sat up, his expression returning to his usual serious one. “Would you like me to escort you to the dining hall, or would you prefer me to just bring something back for you?” Dedue climbed to his feet and looked at her.

Byleth frowned slightly as she thought about leaving her room. She wasn’t really ready to actually talk to her students just yet, or any of the staff that might want to try to talk to her. “If you could just bring something back, that would be fine.” She sighed as she pulled her blanket tightly around herself. Dedue nodded and headed towards the door.

“As you wish. I shall return soon, try not to fall asleep again, and please drink some more water.” He instructed as he stepped out of the room. As soon as the door closed, Sothis floated into Byleth’s line of sight.

“Did clinging to Dedue for four hours make you feel any better?” The green haired girl crossed her arms and looked at Byleth in her bundle of blankets. Byleth nodded slowly.

“A little… I think I have realized what I plan on living for though…” She looked at Sothis with a serious expression.

“Is it the thought of marrying Dedue?” Sothis raised an eyebrow. “I feel that would be a worthy reason to live.”

Byleth rolled her eyes. “It might be a little early to start making wedding plans, Sothis. We’re barely even a couple at the moment. I was thinking more that spending time with _all_ my students is a good reason to keep living. They all showed such concern for my wellbeing, and I truly do care about each and every one of them.” A slight smile came to her face. “Thinking about their kindness is helping a little with my sadness.”

Sothis nodded. “Your students are also a very good reason to go on living.” Byleth reached over to her nightstand and picked up her water glass and took a long drink. Sothis smirked slightly. “If someone else had told you to take care of yourself and drink water in this situation, would you have listened to them?”

Byleth turned bright red. “Probably!” She looked away from Sothis as she took a long sip of water. Sothis laughed.

“Dedue truly does seem to want what’s best for you. I’d almost say he’d give his life up for yours on the battlefield with little hesitation. Almost.” Sothis shrugged. “I have watched over your battles and have seen the man leap across the battlefield to ensure Dimitri’s safety, but I’ve only ever seen him cut down foes that were ready to strike you in the back, or one that had already managed to knock you to the ground.”

Byleth sighed and placed the empty glass back on the nightstand, sliding into her pillows afterwards. “I know he cares quite a bit for me, and he has been spending a lot of his free time with me now instead of with Dimitri, but I honestly don’t know how I stack up to Dimitri in his eyes… For all I know the only reason Dedue came to take care of me today was Dimitri ordered him to…” She pulled a pillow up to her chest and hugged it tightly.

Sothis opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by Dedue returning with a tray of food. He carefully carried the food over to her bed and sat next to her. “I brought what was on special today, which seems to be some sort of fish…” He looked at Byleth, watching to make sure she wasn’t going to react negatively and breakdown yet again. Byleth smiled softly and sat up next to him, giving him a peck on the cheek.

“Thank you, Dedue. I truly appreciate it.” She took a plate of food from the tray and started to devour it ravenously, the fact that she hadn’t eaten in about two days finally catching up with her. Dedue could only sit back and watch as the woman next to him packed a way a lot more food than someone her size should have been able to manage. He brushed a crumb out of her hair.

“I’m glad to see that you’re feeling a little better.” Dedue smiled slightly.

Byleth let out a sigh and looked up at him. “I don’t know that I’ll truly be able to feel better until Monica is cold in the ground and I have had my vengeance, but sitting here in my bed, curled up into a pathetic ball of sadness isn’t going to accomplish anything but making those that care about me just feel bad and worry.” Byleth felt the tears starting to form in her eyes, the brave front she had just attempted to put up cracking just a little.

Dedue wiped away her tears and gently stroked her cheek. “You take all the time you need. If you still need a day or two to cry, no one will stop you, but if you truly want to try to face the world again as early as tomorrow, I’ll be right there support you.” He pressed his forehead against hers gently.

Byleth nodded. “I don’t think I want to face anyone tonight, but I think I will at least go soak in the bath before I turn in for the night.”

Dedue blushed slightly, his mind obviously wandering as she spoke. He gave her a serious look. “I can stand watch if you wish me to.”

Byleth let out a slight chuckle. “I think I can manage, but thank you for your offer.” She kissed his cheek softly before climbing out of bed and gathering her bath supplies from her wardrobe.

Dedue stood up and nodded, gathering the dirty dishes and the like from around the room “Alright, I shall see you tomorrow then.” The large man gave a slight bow before leaving the room. As soon as she was left alone again, Byleth’s face fell, the sadness of losing her father coming back with a vengeance. She pulled on her jacket and headed towards the bathhouse. She had a simple plan for what to do until she carried out her revenge against the girl that had killed her father, and it was to put on a brave face until Monica was dead in the ground. As long as she was smiling and not being the least bit sad, she felt she wouldn’t worry her students, but deep down, she knew this pain would never truly go away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I've been busy af lately, and I've had none energy left anxiety from working my day job along with a side job at a haunted house, which has left me with little to no time for writing. Don't fear, I still have a lot planned out, I absolutely love writing these two, though I will say I'm going to miss Sothis when I have to phase her out, she is absolutely fun two write as a Bydue shipping gremlin. I have solid ideas for what happens around the timeskip, I just have to write one or two filler chapters to get to the timeskip. This chapter took a lot of work to write, but overall I'm happy with how it came out. I have no idea when I'm going to have the next part done, but look forward to it, as it's sure to be longer than I plan it to be. I'm still in shock that this particular chapter looked like it was 9 and a half pages in my word document! Well, I hope you enjoyed this and are willing to bear with me while I get the next part written <3


	8. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth finally gets vengeance on her father's killers, and gains Sothis's goddess powers in the process. After the battle she wakes up in the infirmary and she has a long discussion with Manuela, and after leaving the infirmary realizes a lot of students are looking at her differently.

Byleth was in the entrance hall weeks after Jeralt’s death when Dimitri suddenly came running up to her with news. They had found the enemy’s location, and they were close, in the Sealed Forest just outside of the monastery. Rhea was set to have the Knights of Seiros return to take them out in secret. Dimitri looked his professor in the eyes.

“And all of this is being done in secret. Why? To keep us… no, to keep you in the dark!”

Byleth rested a hand on her chin and looked at him. “Why the secrecy?” She wondered.

Dimitri frowned. “Lady Rhea likely assumed you wouldn’t be able to stop yourself from confronting the enemy if you knew their location.” Dimitri smiled mischievously. “Professor, we’re at the ready, order us to depart, and we’ll fight at your side.”

Lady Rhea and Seteth came storming in behind Dimitri. “No, I will not allow it!” The archbishop crossed her arms and looked at the pair of them. “We just lost Jeralt, and to lose you so soon after him would be unbearable.”

“This discovery comes just when the knights are at their busiest. This feels like They’re trying to lure you out there.” Seteth chimed in. “I know how you must despise them for taking Jeralt from you, but I must ask you to reign in your personal feelings for now.” The green haired man crossed his arms.

Byleth put her hands on her hips and gave a stern look to the archbishop and her second in command. “You can’t stop me.”

Rhea looked at her with concern. “Please, Byleth. Do not act carelessly. I ask that you leave this to us.”

Dimitri stepped between his professor and the archbishop. “Lady Rhea, please try to understand our reasoning before you refuse. While most of the knights are away, we cannot afford for you two to leave the monastery undefended. The enemy’s strength is yet unknown, the only warriors who stand a chance are those who wield Relics.” He looked at both Rhea and Seteth. “With all that in mind, it’s obvious who should be dispatched, is it not?” Dimitri asked as he rested a hand on his hip. “We are ready to depart at a moment’s notice. Please, do what must be done and give us the order.”

Rhea looked at Byleth with a sigh. “Do you agree with this strategy?” Byleth nodded with determination on her face. Rhea nodded back. “Understood. I will give you the order. Destroy the enemy that is hiding in the Sealed Forest. You have the protection of the goddess on your side. Whatever happens, you shall overcome.”

Dimitri bowed slightly. “No matter what happens, we will not fail, I promise you that.” Byleth gave the crown prince an understanding nod, and soon they were off rallying the troops.

As Byleth went back to her room for her sword and her battle attire, she ran into Dedue who seemed to be having issues getting his axe to sit properly against his back. Byleth quickly helped him straighten the strap on his weapon, then ducked into her room to change. When she came back out in her thief attire, with the Sword of the Creator strapped to her side, Dedue was waiting for her. He looked down at her with a serious expression.

“Are you sure you are ready to go through with this, Byleth?” He asked as they moved with purpose towards the monastery’s entrance.

Byleth nodded, her face more serious than he had ever seen it previously. “It’s time for revenge, and Monica is going to pay. As are Solon, Thales, the Flame Emperor, and anyone else that tries to get in my way.” She looked up at him. “Are you ready to help me take down these villains, Dedue?”

The large man nodded. “If that is what you wish, I will help you vanquish your foes.” He gently took her hand in his. “Just do not lose yourself too much in the bloodshed.” Dedue’s expression softened as he looked at her.

Byleth looked up at him. “I promise you, no matter what happens, I’m still going to be me.” She gave him a reassuring smile, placing her free hand on his cheek. Byleth quickly leaned up and gave him a kiss, giving his hand a gently squeeze before darting up to ready her troops. Soon the Blue Lions class was on their way to the Sealed Forest.

When they entered the forest, they saw Monica standing in a clearing, Solon not too far behind her. It soon became clear that this was a trap as Monica laughed maniacally as Solon summoned monsters and soldiers to fight them. Monica smirked at the young professor.

“Since we have you trapped, you might as well know my true identity before I send you off to join that pathetic father of yours.” Monica laughed, and in the blink of an eye did a backflip, and the guise of the student Monica was gone, and in her place stood a humanoid woman in skintight clothing that showed a lot of very pale skin, her crimson hair was now a short mess of orange hair, and it appeared that she had tentacles coming out of her back. “My name is Kronya, and that pathetic girl Monica was merely a guise to gain your trust.”

Byleth wasn’t too concerned, they’d taken out these monsters before, and her students could stand up to just about anything, but she was going to take out Kronya. She gave order for half of her class to go left, the other to go right and take out any foes in their way. Byleth made a beeline for Kronya, slicing down any of the opposing troops that got in her way, Dedue and Dimitri close behind her to ensure her safety. As Byleth made eye contact with the monster that had murdered her father, Kronya bolted towards a stone clearing up ahead. Byleth did not take her eyes off the woman as she chased after her.

In her desperate attempt to get away from Byleth, who had the Sword of the Creator drawn and ready to strike, Kronya tripped over a loose brick and tumbled into the stone area. As Byleth stepped towards the downed demon on the ground, Kronya looked panicked. “How could I really lose… To a lowly creature like you?”

Solon materialized behind Kronya with a smirk on his face, watching the scene play out in front of him. Kronya had climbed to her feet and had a dagger drawn, ready to fight off Byleth before she noticed him behind her. “Don’t just stand there and stare, I need your help!” Kronya pleaded as Solon gave her a menacing look.

“Yes, you most certainly do.” Solon started stalking towards Kronya, completely ignoring Byleth.

“Huh?” Kronya backed nervously away from the demonic old man.

“Have no fear, Kronya.” Solon plunged his hand into the woman’s chest. “Your sacrifice will help rid this world of the filthy vermin who have long infested it.” Solon seemed to get a grip on Kronya’s heart as Byleth could only watch in horror. Dimitri and Dedue had finally come into view, but a barrier of dark magic had started to form around the pillars, blocking their entering and her escaping. Kronya was pleading for the old man to stop as the dark magic flowed from her body. Byleth briefly made fearful eye contact with Dedue before tendrils of he dark magic started to wrap around her arms and legs.

Solon ripped the heart from Kronya’s body, which looked suspiciously like some form of stone instead of a heart. “The time has finally come to unleash the Forbidden Spell of Zaharas upon our enemies!” Solon shouted as he raised Kronya’s heart above his head and crushed it in his fist.

Byleth watched in horror as Kronya fell limp on her back, reaching towards the young woman she had orphaned with pleading eyes. “Help… Me…” She pleaded before her body was engulfed by the dark magic. Byleth looked around nervously as a cloud of Solon’s magic started to overtake her. As she started to disappear, she heard Solon muttering.

“Begone, Fell Star” were the last words Byleth heard before she was suddenly surrounded by darkness.

“You **_fool_**!” Sothis scolded as she suddenly came into view. The green haired girl and the professor were surrounded by complete darkness, and Sothis was clearly not happy about it. “What were you _thinking_ charging right into an enemy’s trap?!” Are you just a boulder that rolls down whatever hill it’s on??? No, wait, even a _boulder_ has more sense!” Sothis chastised the young professor for her poor choices.

“I’m sorry!” Byleth looked at Sothis guiltily. Before Byleth could open her mouth to explain herself further, Sothis held up a hand.

“Apologizing won’t make things right! This darkness is terrifying!” Sothis sighed. “As you and I are one, I too am trapped within this void. But please consider this: This realm of darkness is separate from your world. I mean, it would take a god to leave this place. In time, our hearts and minds will cease to be. Are you prepared to die?” Sothis asked, giving Byleth a serious look.

Byleth shook her head. “I am not… I still have so much to live for! …And Dedue and I have dinner plans in town tomorrow!” She looked up at Sothis with concern. 

Sothis sighed. “I also do not wish to die. And yet… There is no other choice…”

Byleth tilted her head slightly. “What choice?”

Sothis rested her chin on her hand. “Do you recall your father’s diary? He said you were a child who never cried or laughed. I think I am to blame. I must have been asleep, but even then, I feel I was a part of you.” Sothis sighed softly and shook her head. “Somehow Rhea managed to allow me to exist inside of you. The truth is I have always been with you. You helped me find my power yet again. The power of a goddess. The power of the progenitor god.”

Byleth stared at Sothis in shock. If what she was saying were true, that would mean…

“Yes. My name is Sothis. I am the one who watches over Fódlan and the creatures dwelling there. I am she who died and then returned.”

Byleth nodded. “I somehow know this to be true.”

Sothis looked at Byleth with a lot of seriousness in her eyes. “There is only one thing left to do. I must use the power of a god to break us out of here. However, I lack a body of my own, so I must relinquish my power… to you.” Sothis lowered her feet to the floor. “The time has come for us to become one, and when that happens… then I shall disappear.”

Byleth gasped. “Disappear??!!” She didn’t know what she would do without Sothis there to help her comprehend emotion, or figure out the best way to get Dedue’s attention, or even politely shut down Dimitri’s advances.

Sothis shrugged. “I do not mean that I will be no more, I will live on in your soul and we will never be apart. But… I will no longer have the chance to speak with you… I will miss it.” She sighed wistfully. “Through you I was able to see the world, I was able to get you into the relationship with Dedue you so desperately desired, and feel the deep bond forming between the two of you.” Sothis smiled slightly. “I even got to chastise you from time to time. I may not have always acted like a goddess, but it was fun. I’m glad that it was you to whom my fate was bound.”

Byleth felt a tear form in her eye. “Thank you Sothis, for everything.” She smiled slightly at the goddess before her.

Sothis nodded and took a deep breath. “For this to work, we must pray. For if we share this wish, our two spirits will join as one. I know you wish to return to the forest, stop your enemies, and rescue the little ones. I know your heart as if it is my own.” Sothis slowly started walking towards Byleth. She stretched out her hand to the young professor. “Our fates are now as one. You now see both sides of time.” Sothis chuckled as a bright light filled the dark void around them. “What shall you do?”

Byleth reached her hand out to meet Sothis and as soon as their hands met, Sothis started to disappear as she became part of Byleth’s spirit. As soon as Sothis was gone, the light absorbed into Byleth and the young professor felt a huge surge of energy flow through her.

With a mighty scream, Byleth raised the Sword of the Creator and sliced through the darkness, opening a portal back into the sealed forest. As Byleth landed on the stone floor, she made eye contact with Dedue, who let out a sigh of relief. From behind her she heard Solon gasp at her ability to return from the dark void he had banished her to.

Byleth’s students rallied behind her, and soon they had defeated all of the new enemies Solon had called in, and with Dedue not far behind her, Byleth had charged up to Solon and taken him down in one fell swoop, and the battle was over. Dimitri ran past Dedue to speak to the professor.

“Professor! I’m glad you’re OK and relatively unscathed. I’m… I’m so relieved.” The prince let out a sigh of relief and gave her a serious look. “Jeralt’s foe is dead as well, though we had little to do with it…” He looked her up and down quickly. “I also must ask, what happened while we were separated? You look… different.” Dimitri gestured to his face and hair.

Byleth looked at him in confusion. “Different?” She brushed a strand of hair into her face where she could see it and saw her hair was now a bright, minty shade of green. She shrugged it off pretty quickly. “Probably just a side effect of the power the goddess decided to gift me. I guess she decided to change my hair to match hers in the process.”

Dimitri’s jaw dropped at her explanation. “The goddess appeared… and _gave you her power???_ And she had green hair?? It’s as though the legend of old has been made flesh…” He shook his head in disbelief. “It’s hard to grasp, in all honesty, but having seen you pierce the sky with my own eyes, I can’t doubt you.” Byleth zoned out for a moment as Dimitri started to talk about the legend of Seiros and as he went on, she started to doze off.

Byleth fell to the ground and was mostly asleep within minutes. She heard Dedue rush over and felt his large hand on her face as Dimitri started to voice his concern.

“Professor? Are you…? Are you asleep?” Dimitri seemed slightly panicked.

“She’s still breathing, and doesn’t seem to have a fever, so I think she is just asleep.” Dedue confirmed for the prince.

“We must get her help, and fast.” Dimitri said quickly.

“I shall carry her back to the monastery.” Dedue said as he started to put his hands under her. Dimitri seemed to take offense to this.

“No, I shall carry her back, you get the rest of our class gathered and get them back.” Dimitri instructed as he went around Dedue and lifted the professor off the ground. He gently hoisted her over his shoulder, and Byleth heard Dedue let out a disappointed sigh as he agreed to the prince’s orders, and then she completely lost consciousness.

Byleth woke up some time later to a familiar voice singing to her. Her eyes fluttered open slightly and she realized she was lying down somewhere other than her bed with her head in Rhea’s lap.

“Byleth, you must remain still.” Rhea said softly as she stroked the young woman’s hair.

“Where am I?” Byleth asked weakly.

“Everything is all right, there is no need to worry. Those who are trying to harm you are far away.” Rhea started to hum again. She let out a soft sigh. “How lovely it would be for this moment to last forever… I have heard whispers of what happened to you. Your appearance… You have received the power of the goddess.”

Byleth felt her eyelids growing heavy as Rhea spoke. “I knew you were destined to wield the power of Sothis from the day you picked up the Sword of the Creator.” Rhea seemed to tear up just a little. “I am so pleased you now have the light of Sothis shining through you. But you are so much more than the light… You are my…” She let out a sigh. “Close your eyes, dear one. Sleep, just a while longer.” As Byleth drifted back to sleep, she heard Rhea say she would be watching over her always.

When Byleth regained consciousness for the second time, she looked around the room and tried to figure out where she was. There were multiple empty beds, an anatomical model in the corner, and Dedue asleep in a chair near her bed. She was in the infirmary. As though he sensed that she was awake, Dedue slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. When he realized she was looking back at him, he rushed to her side.

“Byleth! You are finally awake.” Dedue said softly as he stroked her cheek, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her lips. “You’ve been asleep for about a day now. I was so worried when you fell asleep so suddenly in the Sealed Forest, and there is talk that you have the power of the goddess, and-”

Byleth gently placed a hand on his cheek and shushed him softly. “Dedue, I’m fine… Just a little more powerful… and green… and a bit tired…” She smiled at him, then frowned. “Did you say I was asleep for 24 hours?”

Dedue nodded. “Yes, but I’ve only been here for about the last ten hours, as His Highness had other things he needed me to attend to…”

Byleth shook her head. “That wasn’t the part I was worried about… Dedue, I made us miss that dinner date we had planned for a week, I am so sorry…” She looked at him apologetically.

Dedue stroked her cheek. “Don’t worry about that, I told Sylvain to take our reservation, it’s okay. We can always reschedule our date.”

Byleth smiled. “I’ll try not to do anything that will screw up the next one too…” Dedue chuckled slightly and kissed her forehead gently.

“Am I interrupting something?” Manuela asked as she entered the infirmary, smirking slightly as she saw them. Dedue quickly straightened up and looked at Manuela.

“Nothing at all, Professor.” Dedue said with a slight blush. Manuela chuckled and turned to Byleth.

“It’s good to see you’re awake, Byleth. It’s already starting to get dark.” Manuela placed a hand on the younger professor’s forehead. “Your temperature feels normal, and everything else checked out when they brought you in here. I assume that the goddess’s power just wiped you out because your body wasn’t used to that much power.” Manuela tapped her chin and looked at her. “Though there is one thing that did strike me as odd, your father had informed me that your heartbeat is undetectable, has been your whole life, but I had no trouble at all hearing your heart when I examined you.”

Byleth sat up and pressed a hand to her chest, and for the first time felt something beating in there, and due to her surprise it was beating quickly. She didn’t understand how it had happened, but she just assumed it was Sothis’s doing. “I guess the power of the goddess did change me a little bit on the inside…” Byleth whispered softly.

Manuela smiled. “Well, all that matters for now is that you’re in good health. Your heart sounds completely normal as compared to everyone else.”

Dedue cleared his throat to remind them that he was still there. “Is Byl-err, the Professor clear to leave the infirmary?”

Manuela blinked at him in mock surprise. “Dedue, were you just about to refer to your professor by her first name?” She gasped and placed a hand on her chest. Dedue blushed deeply and started to stammer out an excuse before Manuela started laughing. “Dedue, I’m just teasing, it’s obvious that there’s something going on between you and Byleth.”

Byleth frowned slightly. “Is it really that obvious?” She asked, a guilty look spreading across her face.

Manuela raised an eyebrow. “You two are always sharing tea together in the gazebo, you frequently go out into town together, Dedue was the only one you let anywhere near you when Jeralt was killed, and I literally saw you two kissing when I came in.” She smiled. “Not to mention the fact that Dedue was sitting outside of the infirmary for hours before I told him to just come in and pull up a chair and wait for you to wake up.”

Dedue and Byleth looked at each other briefly, then turned away blushing. “I hadn’t realized we were quite that obvious…” Byleth blushed. “Dimitri hasn’t seemed to have fully noticed this… Or any of the other students…”

Dedue gently patted Byleth’s shoulder. “His Highness may not have noticed because he has other things on his mind… Other students have definitely started to take notice…”

Manuela chuckled. “As long as Seteth doesn’t catch you two doing anything too unsavory, you should be fine.” Her expression turned serious. “Though by the guidelines of the Officer’s Academy, I do have to warn against any sexual activity, as this school is no place for an unplanned pregnancy, and under the teachings of Seiros you should not be having sex before marriage under any circumstance.”

Byleth tilted her head in confusion and just looked at Manuela. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Dedue’s face was bright red, and he was not making eye contact with either of them.

“I promise you, Professor Manuela, that Byleth and I are not sexually active, and that is the furthest thing from our minds currently. Can we please stop discussing this now?” Dedue rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the ground.

Byleth blinked in confusion. “I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m pretty sure his statement is accurate?” Byleth said uncertainly. “I don’t think we’ve done anything that can lead to pregnancy?”

Dedue put his face in his hands and let out a groan of embarrassment. He looked at Byleth and sighed. “You have this discussion with Professor Manuela, I-I’m going to go wait in the hall…” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and left the room as quickly as he could. Byleth could have sworn that she heard Sothis laughing hysterically somewhere in the depths of her unconscious.

Manuela looked at Byleth in surprise. “Y-you don’t know anything about sex or being sexually active? D-did Jeralt never explain how reproduction works to you?” She sat down on the edge of the bed with a hand on her forehead.

Byleth shrugged. “I know as much as I can get pregnant because of my monthly cycle, and that I need a man to make it happen. That is as in depth as Jeralt got on that subject, and I’m pretty sure he only told me that much because I thought I was dying when I got my first monthly flux.”

Manuela was speechless. “I guess this is what happens when you’re raised without a maternal figure and a secretive father like Jeralt.” She looked at the younger professor and tilted her head. “Would you like me to give you proper information on how reproduction and sex works?”

Byleth nodded furiously. “Please! This is information I’m sure would have helped me a lot in the past and will likely help with my current relationship.”

Manuela nodded in agreement and started her sex-ed lecture that she usually reserved for the beginning of the school year. Byleth listened intently as Manuela explained the basics of reproduction, and the different family planning methods that existed under the teaching of Seiros. She explained basically how sex worked, and while it is a pleasurable act meant to be shared between two people that care about each other, there were a few negative things that could result from sexual contact. Manuela explained the different diseases that were transmitted sexually, and the different levels of unpleasant they are.

“The warts can be pretty bad, but truly the worst thing that can be transmitted sexually is a child.” Manuela laughed. “Well, at least when you don’t plan on having a child, because that is at least an 18-year commitment, and it can get a bit costly.”

Byleth nodded. “I understand. I currently have no plans to have children and can safely say that Dedue and I have not come close to anything that could lead to pregnancy at this time.”

Manuela gently patted Byleth on the back. “That’s good to hear, and as a staff member and follower of the church, I hope you keep it that way.” She smirked slightly. “But as your friend and a fellow woman, if you’re going to decide to become sexually active, do it safely, and work on following that rhythm method of family planning I told you about.

Byleth smiled. “Thank you for taking the time to explain this to me, Manuela.”

Manuela stood up and smiled back. “It was no problem, better for you to be informed than to do something stupid and have to leave the academy. If you ever have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to come talk to me.”

Byleth climbed to her feet and nodded. “I’m assuming I’m cleared to leave?”

Manuela nodded. “Yes, in fact, the sooner the better. I have a date tonight, which hopefully goes well.”

Byleth laughed a little as she pulled her boots onto her feet. “Alright, I’ll get going then. Good luck on your date and have fun.” She gave Manuela a wave and went out into the hallway to meet up with Dedue. She looked at him and tilted her head slightly.

“Have you calmed down? You looked like you were ready to die of embarrassment.” Byleth teased as she took his hand.

Dedue blushed. “I was just not comfortable discussing our relationship with an outside party… Let alone Professor Manuela…”

Byleth shrugged. “Better Manuela than Hanneman or Seteth.” Dedue’s brain seemed unable to process the thought of either of those male staff members having a discussion of that nature with anybody, and he got very quiet for a moment. “Dedue? Are you okay?”

Dedue shook his head and blinked. “I’m sorry, that just sounded like a horrible conversation to be part of and I do no like thinking about it.”

Byleth smiled. “Well, let’s go get something to eat to take our minds off of that. I am _starving_.”

Dedue chuckled. “Alright, let’s go get some dinner. You’ll have to settle for the dining hall, I hope that is okay.” He squeezed her hand gently as the headed towards the dining hall.

Between the infirmary and the dining hall, they ran into a handful of students from other houses. Every single one of them seemed to be taken aback by Byleth’s new appearance, and she heard whispers behind her back about it, which didn’t entirely sit well with Byleth. When they entered the dining hall, Dedue told Byleth to find somewhere to sit while he got their food for them. She spotted a couple of her students from the Blue Lions at a table and decided to join them.

“It’s good to see that you’re up and about again, Professor!” Annette smiled. “We were so worried when Dimitri had to carry you back after the battle. Your new look is also awesome by the way!”

Byleth blinked. “**_Dimitri_** carried me back?”

Dedue let out a sigh as he sat down next to her and placed down her plate of food in front of her. “His Highness would not let me carry you back despite my saying I would.” Dedue had a twinge of jealousy in his voice.

Annette laughed. “Yeah, and you wouldn’t stop muttering about it the whole way back.”

Byleth smiled as her students filled her in on their trip back from the Sealed Forest. Sylvain told her that Dimitri hadn’t carried her in a completely dignified manner, he had just sort of thrown her over his shoulder, and Mercedes had added how distressed Dedue had been the whole time. Dedue looked away with a blush as he silently ate his dinner.

“Alright, Professor, I just need to know because Dedue won’t fess up.” Sylvain looked Byleth in the eyes. “Is there something a little more than a simple friendship going on between you and Dedue?”

Byleth raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think there’s something going on?” She took a long sip from the glass in front of her.

Sylvain shrugged. “Well, maybe the fact that Dedue has been seen leaving your room at the crack of dawn on at least three occasions, maybe the trips into town to that restaurant I take my dates to.” Sylvain smirked slightly.

Byleth choked on her water as Sylvain presented his evidence. Dedue quickly rubbed her back until she was breathing again. She blushed. “Okay, maybe there’s something going on. Nothing too explicit, but I guess you could call us a couple.” She frowned slightly. “But before any of you get too excited, this information does not leave this table, because if Seteth in particular finds out, it’s not going to be pretty. It’s not exactly professional for me to be dating one of my students.”

Annette and Mercedes nodded, and Sylvain shrugged. “I just needed to know if I had a shot with you, but if you’ve only got eyes for Dedue, I’ll lay off.”

Dedue nodded. “Thank you Sylvain. I was coming very close to having to fight you for the way you were talking about our professor after class.”

They finished off their meals and parted ways from the other Blue Lions, stepping out into the brisk night air. Byleth looked up at the sky and smiled. “It’s a lovely night.”

Dedue nodded. “It isn’t even too cold at the moment. “He looked at her with a slight smile. “Would you care to go for a walk?”

Byleth nodded and gently took his hand. They wandered just outside of the monastery and ended up looking at the stars. It was just the two of them, so it was very quiet. Byleth let out a slight sigh. Dedue tilted is head and looked at her.

“Is there something on your mind, Byleth?” He asked, pulling her a little bit closer as a cold wind blew past them. 

She nuzzled against him slightly. “Dedue, were you shocked by my sudden change in appearance?” She asked, looking up at him nervously.

Dedue gently placed a hand on her cheek. “I was just happy that you had returned to us. The change in your hair and eye color was certainly a surprise, but I was more concerned that Solon had managed to send you somewhere to never be seen again.” He smiled softly. “You could have come back with a second head, purple skin, even as a man, and I just would have been happy to have you back in my arms.”

Byleth blushed slightly and smiled. “You really would have continued this relationship if I had come back as a man?”

Dedue nodded. “It doesn’t matter to me what you look like on the outside, as long as the person on the inside is still the same kind soul that has stood up to anybody that has even looked at me the wrong way. You are one of the few people who has not immediately looked down on me for being from Duscur, and one of the few that treats me like a person instead of dirt, you help me in the greenhouse every chance you get, and you would protect His Highness and the rest of my classmates with your life.” He kissed her softly. “All that matters to me is that you are you.”

Byleth smiled softly and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Dedue. I needed to hear that.” She let out a soft sigh. “Some of the students from other classes seem to be a little afraid of my new appearance…” She frowned slightly and looked away from him, resting her head against him.

Dedue rubbed her back in small circles. “Well, you certainly seem like the same person to me, you did very well to keep your word before battle, that no matter what happened, you would still be you.”

Another cold gust of wind blew by, causing Byleth to shiver. “Maybe we should head back…”

Dedue nodded, pulling her close to his side as they walked back. “Do not let what others think of your appearance get to you. You and I both know that doesn’t usually bother you.”

Byleth nodded. “probably the sudden change that’s freaking them out, they should be used to it in a couple weeks.” She smiled up at him. “I really appreciate how much better you’ve helped me feel about this.”

Dedue smiled softly. “I do not like to see you troubled, so I shall try my best to ensure your happiness.”

Byleth let out a content sigh and leaned into him as they reentered the monastery. When they got back to the dorms, Byleth invited Dedue into her room to warm up. He politely declined.

“I really should be going to inform His Highness that you’re up and moving again…” Dedue shrugged.

Byleth accepted his decision but wanted to be with him just a little longer. “Well, I still have your coat from the ball in my room… You really should take it back before I end up keeping it forever.” She teased.

Dedue chuckled. “A lot has happened since that night… What would you even do with my coat if I didn’t take it back from you?”

Byleth shrugged. “Use it as a blanket, maybe hang it on the wall and store flowers on it.” She opened the door to her room and went over to her chair, where the coat had been sitting for the last month. She picked up Dedue’s dress coat and handed it back to him. “You students really need to be better about keeping track of your things.” She laughed, then a thought occurred to her. “Wait, I actually have something else of yours that you should probably take back to your room as well.”

Dedue tilted his head and watched as Byleth went over to her dresser and picked up an entire cooking pot. “Wait, where did you find that?” He asked in surprise. “I have been looking for that for over a week.”

Byleth gave him a slightly concerned look. “I’ve been meaning to ask about where I found this, considering it was _outside the greenhouse._ How exactly do you lose an entire cooking pot in the first place?”

Dedue blushed. “Well, I was using it to collect some of the flower blossoms for a project Hilda and Mercedes were working on, and I guess I accidentally left it behind after we were done.” He took the cooking pot from her and draped his coat over it. “I appreciate you keeping these things safe for me.” He gave her a soft kiss. “Good night, Byleth. Please try to stay warm tonight.”

Byleth smiled. “I will certainly try my best. Now you try to make sure Dimitri gets to bed in a timely manner, alright?” Byleth instructed as she walked Dedue to the door.

Dedue nodded and told her he would, and then left her room. Byleth heard the door to Dedue’s room open as he put his things away, then heard it close as his footsteps wandered away in search of Dimitri. Byleth changed into her pajamas and climbed on top of her bed, just staring at the ceiling. For the first time since she came to Garreg Mach, Byleth was truly alone.

“Sothis… I wish I could still speak with you… You’d know how to handle all these new things I’ve been going through…” Byleth sighed as she wrapped her blankets around herself. She had an early meeting with Rhea the next morning, so she decided it was best to just go to sleep. As she drifted off yet again, Byleth was certain she heard Sothis humming softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the late update, I have been busy and desperately trying to finish off my Golden Deer file before Pokemon came out (I managed it), and I have just had like no time to write, and it's been rough. I did genuinely enjoy writing this chapter, especially Manuela's sex talk with Byleth, and I am pretty happy with how this came out despite the fact that it took so long to write. I have no idea when the next update will be, I have been playing a lot of Pokemon, and I have not had any motivation to write as of late. I still plan on updating, I have a lot of ideas for future chapters, but I just have no idea when they'll get written


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